[LibWhacker]

Watch out, Fred Hoyle! He may make a comeback yet... Gotta love it when totally unexpected things happen to upset the scientific applecart.

[6SJ7]

A new image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows baby stars sprouting in the backwoods of a galaxy...

AKA, "bitter" stars.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

GALEX Image

Beyond the Borders of a Galaxy

The outlying regions around the Southern Pinwheel galaxy, or M83, are highlighted in this composite image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array in New Mexico. The blue and pink pinwheel in the center is the galaxy's main stellar disk, while the flapping, ribbon-like structures are its extended arms.

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer is an ultraviolet survey telescope. Its observations, shown here in blue and green, highlight the galaxy's farthest-flung clusters of young stars up to 140,000 light-years from its center. The Very Large Array observations show the radio emission in red. They highlight gaseous hydrogen atoms, or raw ingredients for stars, which make up the lengthy, extended arms.

Astronomers are excited that the clusters of baby stars match up with the extended arms, because this helps them better understand how stars can be created out in the "backwoods" of a galaxy.

In this image, far-ultraviolet light is blue, near-ultraviolet light is green and radio emission at a wavelength of 21 centimeters is red.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/VLA/MPIA

[Disambiguator]

If you ever get a chance to see the VLA in person, do it. The surrounding area is sparsely populated and quite beautiful. The installation itself is kind of interesting, too. ;^)

It lies between the two thriving metropolises of Magdalena and Datil on US 60 west of Socorro in SW New Mexico. If you're into exploring, check out the ghost town of Riley. It's easy to get to on dirt Forest Service roads north of Magdalena. There is a Forest Service Ranger Station in Magdalena where you can get maps and advice.

I used to spend a lot of time in that area, in case you're wondering.

[knarf]

Oh ... I thought the title meant .... I mean .... welllll ... I’ve always suspected ..... um ..... ne’er mind.

[org.whodat]

A new image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows baby stars sprouting in the backwoods of a galaxy -- a relatively desolate region of space more than 100,000 light-years from the galaxy's bustling center.

How do they know it's not a blue screen stunt. :^)