This is a picture of M63, otherwise known as the Sunflower Galaxy for its yellow center and spiral arms. If it doesn't ring a bell, don't feel bad because it's not something we were ever required to learn for the constellation quizzes. M63 is found in Canes Venatici, the "loyal" constellation according to APOD. It's called an "island universe" but the link provided doesn't really explain what that is so I have no idea. This galaxy, however, is actually about the size of our own Milky Way galaxy (100,000 light years. Have you ever noticed how dumb sounding the name of our galaxy is? Who the hell named it?). Astronomers believe that this galaxy has gone through "bursts" of intense star formation, and they think that the extended features result from gravitational interaction between this galaxy and other surrounding galaxies. M63 is a dominant member of the M101 galaxy group.
No comments:
Post a Comment