Looking up to the stars

Amazing images of the Sombrero galaxy

by catalin | 11 months ago (Wed, Jun 27, 2012 3:54pm EDT) | in Cool Stuff

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sombrero galaxy nasa the spitzer hubble telescope

1. Optical image of the galaxy, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope
2. Infrared image from Spitzer Space Telescope
3. Final mix of the two images

The Spitzer infrared telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have joined forces to create this composite image of one of the most popular objects in the universe.

Messier 104 is commonly known as the Sombrero galaxy because in visible light, resembling a Mexican hat. However, in infrared, the galaxy looks more like a 'bull's eye.'

Hubble was the first visible light image clearly showing the dust cloud that crosses its plane. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared camera (second picture) found a bright ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. Spitzer detects the brightness of stars through the clouds of dust.

Spitzer also shows that the disc is warped, which often happens as a result of a gravitational encounter with another galaxy, and brighter areas as spots to the inner edges indicates a region of intense star formation.

The Sombrero galaxy is located about 28 million light years away. Viewed from Earth, is tilted just six degrees south of its equatorial plane. Spitzer detected infrared emission not only from the ring, but also from the center of the galaxy, where a huge black hole, believed to be a billion times more massive than our Sun is a core galaxy with high emissivity.

http://www.espacioprofundo.com.ar/verarticulo/Nuevas_imagenes_de_la_galaxia_del_Sombrero.html

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PookyBear | 11 months ago | +4 -1
I wish i was in astro physics instead now, i'd get to study neat stuff like this!
- catalin | 11 months ago | +2
  Should buy one of these amateur telescope. I think that would be also damn cool. (not sure why anyone would neg, at least should give reason)
  - JollyRogArrh | 11 months ago | +2
    I've been careful to not neg anyone for awhile by accident. My telescope has been in a box for about 20 years. Too many trees and lights in my area to really see the sky. The new ones come with motors that make your scope follow the sky. I should pass mine on to someone who could really use it.
catalin | 11 months ago | +2 -1
When I see these images it makes me realize how small we and our day to day problems are and how wonderful life is
- massagepluss | 11 months ago | +1
  Somewhere in a galaxy, far far away.... They're thinking the same thing!
- ancientmariner | 11 months ago | +1
  so true, but everything is relative. some of our day to day problems can seem enormous and unsurmountable to us on any given day, on a day to day existence... on a good day, we all know this not to be true and that there is a solution for everything. on a bad day, we can get stuck in our own little world and feel helpless.
  that is why, for me, getting outside stimulation and different perspectives on things are essentsial for me to maintain a positive outlook. knowledge and wisdom, and the quest for it, keep me outside my own little box and helps maintain a healthy ego...
  wow. looking back over this i see it's exactly what i feel, but it kinda sounds like something dr phil would come up with...
mwstewart80 | 11 months ago | +1
Looking at these and other astronomical images reminds me of a quote. This is one tiny planet, one tiny little solar system out of billions maybe even trillions, that even the tallest structure on this planet can not even compare to how large and vast items are in space.
PrimordialxScission | 11 months ago | +1
I view each galaxy as a piece of art. I also think the same applies to the Universe.
- catalin | 11 months ago | +1
  Pieces of art refined in the smallest detail over billions of years. I also find the human body to be a piece of art.

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