Science Can you comprehend it?

**Dave Lane** · 04-08-2011, 10:18 PM

Took this on Monday at a Dark Sky site and though it was only 150 minutes it came out nicely I think.

Object data: M51, the 'Whirlpool Galaxy' in Canes Venatici is famous for its beautiful spiral structure, first noted by Lord Rosse in 1845. It was discovered by Messier in October 1773 and catalogued by him in January 1774.

Its companion galaxy, NGC 5195, (seen to the right of M51 in this image) was discovered in 1781 by Messier's colleague, P. Mechain. The M51 system is a spectacular example of interacting galaxies - in this case NGC 5195 is being "ripped apart" by the huge gravitational disturbance of M51, while M51 has in turn undergone huge structural alteration from the gravitational effects of NGC 5195.

The distance of M51 is estimated to be about 37 million light years. The diameter is approximately 100,000 light years and the total mass is estimated to be the equivalent of 160 billion suns.

**bevischief** · 04-09-2011, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Took this on Monday at a Dark Sky site and though it was only 150 minutes it came out nicely I think.

Object data: M51, the 'Whirlpool Galaxy' in Canes Venatici is famous for its beautiful spiral structure, first noted by Lord Rosse in 1845. It was discovered by Messier in October 1773 and catalogued by him in January 1774.

Its companion galaxy, NGC 5195, (seen to the right of M51 in this image) was discovered in 1781 by Messier's colleague, P. Mechain. The M51 system is a spectacular example of interacting galaxies - in this case NGC 5195 is being "ripped apart" by the huge gravitational disturbance of M51, while M51 has in turn undergone huge structural alteration from the gravitational effects of NGC 5195.

The distance of M51 is estimated to be about 37 million light years. The diameter is approximately 100,000 light years and the total mass is estimated to be the equivalent of 160 billion suns.

What time of night was this taken?

**Dave Lane** · 04-09-2011, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevischief

What time of night was this taken?

About 3AM to 5AM

**Dave Lane** · 04-10-2011, 06:09 PM

This is a Shot of M84, M86 and NGC4402. M84 (lower right) and M86 (lower on the left) are both giant lenticular galaxies at the heart of the Virgo cluster of Galaxies.

Located in Markarian's Chain, M84 was studied by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1997 and was found to contain a massive central object, estimated at 300 million solar masses, located less than 26 light years from the center of the galaxy.

NGC 4402, a spiral galaxy at the top of the photo, appears Almost completely edge on to the Milky Way. There are lots of little "fuzzies" in the background that are other members of the cluster .

Located about 70 million light years away, the Virgo cluster is a gigantic collection of several thousand galaxies that dominate our local part of the universe.

The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies whose center is 53.8 ± 0.3 Mly (16.5 ± 0.1 Mpc)[2] away in the constellation Virgo. Comprising approximately 1300 (and possibly up to 2000) member galaxies,[3] the cluster forms the heart of the larger Local Supercluster, of which the Local Group is an outlying member. It is estimated that its mass is 1.2×1015 M☉ out to 8 degrees of the cluster's center or a radius of about 2.2 Mpc.[4]

Many of the brighter galaxies in this cluster, including the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87, were discovered in the late 1770s and early 1780s and subsequently included in Charles Messier's catalogue of non-cometary fuzzy objects. Described by Messier as nebulae without stars, their true nature was not recognized until the 1920s.[5]

The cluster subtends a maximum arc of approximately 8 degrees centered in the constellation Virgo. Many of the member galaxies of the cluster are visible with a small telescope.

The cluster is a fairly heterogeneous mixture of spirals and ellipticals.[6]As of 2004, it is believed that the spirals of the cluster are distributed in an oblong prolate filament, approximately 4 times as long as wide, stretching along the line of sight from the Milky Way.[7] The elliptical galaxies are more centrally concentrated than the spiral galaxies.

The cluster is an aggregrate of at least three separate subclumps centered on the galaxies M87, M86, and M49. Of the three subclumps, the one centered on M87 is the dominant one, with a mass of approximately 1014 solar masses, which is approximately an order of magnitude larger than the other two subclumps.[8]

The large mass of the cluster is indicated by the high peculiar velocities of many of its galaxies, sometimes as high as 1,600 km/s with respect to the cluster's center.

The Virgo cluster lies within the Local Supercluster, and its gravitational effects slow down the nearby galaxies. The large mass of the cluster has the effect of slowing down the recession of the Local Group from the cluster by approximately ten percent.

**Dave Lane** · 04-10-2011, 07:03 PM

About 60 million light years away, in the constellation of Leo, sits this magnificent group of galaxies, number 44 in a catalog of 100 such clusters compiled by astronomer Paul Hickson. This scene is an interesting study in the range of galaxy types. Just below center is NGC 3190, a striking spiral that we see nearly edge on. The dust lane traversing it is characteristic of spiral galaxies. To the lower left is NGC 3193, a good example of an elliptical galaxy. To the upper left is NGC 3187, another spiral, but with a prominent central bar. To the top right is NGC 3185. This is also a barred spiral, but its bar is subtle and much smaller relative to its overall size.

The galaxies in Hickson 44 are close enough that they interact with each other gravitationally. This causes the individual galaxies to become distorted and in some cases even share material. If you look closely, you may notice a faint halo around NGC 3190, and also a very subtle smudge of light between it and NGC 3193, a bridge of stars being shared between the two giants as they embrace in their cosmic dance.

Finally, inspect the background of the field and you will find hundreds of tiny yellowish and reddish objects. These are not stars, but extremely distant galaxies, hundreds of millions of light years away. This awesome backdrop almost makes the galaxies of the main group group seem close by!

**Dave Lane** · 05-04-2011, 03:18 PM

From last night

Close to the Great Bear (Ursa Major) and surrounded by the stars of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici), this celestial nebula was discovered in 1781 by the metric French astronomer Pierre Mechain. Later, it was added to the catalog of his friend and colleague Charles Messier as M106. Modern deep telescopic views reveal it to be an island universe -- a spiral galaxy around 30 thousand light-years across located only about 21 million light-years beyond the stars of the Milky Way. Youthful blue star clusters and reddish stellar nurseries trace the striking spiral arms of M106. Seen so clearly in this beautiful image, the galaxy's bright core is also visible across the spectrum from radio to x-rays, making M106 a nearby example of the Seyfert class of active galaxies. The bright core of a Seyfert galaxy is believed to be powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole.

04-08-2011, 10:18 PM	#1
Dave Lane Space Cadet and Aczabel Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kanab, UT, USA Casino cash: $9333275 VARSITY	Took this on Monday at a Dark Sky site and though it was only 150 minutes it came out nicely I think. Object data: M51, the 'Whirlpool Galaxy' in Canes Venatici is famous for its beautiful spiral structure, first noted by Lord Rosse in 1845. It was discovered by Messier in October 1773 and catalogued by him in January 1774. Its companion galaxy, NGC 5195, (seen to the right of M51 in this image) was discovered in 1781 by Messier's colleague, P. Mechain. The M51 system is a spectacular example of interacting galaxies - in this case NGC 5195 is being "ripped apart" by the huge gravitational disturbance of M51, while M51 has in turn undergone huge structural alteration from the gravitational effects of NGC 5195. The distance of M51 is estimated to be about 37 million light years. The diameter is approximately 100,000 light years and the total mass is estimated to be the equivalent of 160 billion suns. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Thanks, Trump for the civics lesson. We are learning so much about RICO, espionage, sedition, impeachment, the 25th Amendment, order of succession, nepotism, separation of powers, 1st Amendment, obstruction of justice, the emoluments clause, conflicts of interest, collusion, sanctions, oligarchs, money laundering and so much more. Last edited by Dave Lane; 04-09-2011 at 08:01 AM..
Posts: 40,584

04-10-2011, 06:09 PM	#4
Dave Lane Space Cadet and Aczabel Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kanab, UT, USA Casino cash: $9333275 VARSITY	This is a Shot of M84, M86 and NGC4402. M84 (lower right) and M86 (lower on the left) are both giant lenticular galaxies at the heart of the Virgo cluster of Galaxies. Located in Markarian's Chain, M84 was studied by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1997 and was found to contain a massive central object, estimated at 300 million solar masses, located less than 26 light years from the center of the galaxy. NGC 4402, a spiral galaxy at the top of the photo, appears Almost completely edge on to the Milky Way. There are lots of little "fuzzies" in the background that are other members of the cluster . Located about 70 million light years away, the Virgo cluster is a gigantic collection of several thousand galaxies that dominate our local part of the universe. The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies whose center is 53.8 ± 0.3 Mly (16.5 ± 0.1 Mpc)[2] away in the constellation Virgo. Comprising approximately 1300 (and possibly up to 2000) member galaxies,[3] the cluster forms the heart of the larger Local Supercluster, of which the Local Group is an outlying member. It is estimated that its mass is 1.2×1015 M☉ out to 8 degrees of the cluster's center or a radius of about 2.2 Mpc.[4] Many of the brighter galaxies in this cluster, including the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87, were discovered in the late 1770s and early 1780s and subsequently included in Charles Messier's catalogue of non-cometary fuzzy objects. Described by Messier as nebulae without stars, their true nature was not recognized until the 1920s.[5] The cluster subtends a maximum arc of approximately 8 degrees centered in the constellation Virgo. Many of the member galaxies of the cluster are visible with a small telescope. The cluster is a fairly heterogeneous mixture of spirals and ellipticals.[6]As of 2004, it is believed that the spirals of the cluster are distributed in an oblong prolate filament, approximately 4 times as long as wide, stretching along the line of sight from the Milky Way.[7] The elliptical galaxies are more centrally concentrated than the spiral galaxies. The cluster is an aggregrate of at least three separate subclumps centered on the galaxies M87, M86, and M49. Of the three subclumps, the one centered on M87 is the dominant one, with a mass of approximately 1014 solar masses, which is approximately an order of magnitude larger than the other two subclumps.[8] The large mass of the cluster is indicated by the high peculiar velocities of many of its galaxies, sometimes as high as 1,600 km/s with respect to the cluster's center. The Virgo cluster lies within the Local Supercluster, and its gravitational effects slow down the nearby galaxies. The large mass of the cluster has the effect of slowing down the recession of the Local Group from the cluster by approximately ten percent. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Thanks, Trump for the civics lesson. We are learning so much about RICO, espionage, sedition, impeachment, the 25th Amendment, order of succession, nepotism, separation of powers, 1st Amendment, obstruction of justice, the emoluments clause, conflicts of interest, collusion, sanctions, oligarchs, money laundering and so much more. Last edited by Dave Lane; 04-10-2011 at 06:27 PM..
Posts: 40,584

04-10-2011, 07:03 PM	#5
Dave Lane Space Cadet and Aczabel Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kanab, UT, USA Casino cash: $9333275 VARSITY	About 60 million light years away, in the constellation of Leo, sits this magnificent group of galaxies, number 44 in a catalog of 100 such clusters compiled by astronomer Paul Hickson. This scene is an interesting study in the range of galaxy types. Just below center is NGC 3190, a striking spiral that we see nearly edge on. The dust lane traversing it is characteristic of spiral galaxies. To the lower left is NGC 3193, a good example of an elliptical galaxy. To the upper left is NGC 3187, another spiral, but with a prominent central bar. To the top right is NGC 3185. This is also a barred spiral, but its bar is subtle and much smaller relative to its overall size. The galaxies in Hickson 44 are close enough that they interact with each other gravitationally. This causes the individual galaxies to become distorted and in some cases even share material. If you look closely, you may notice a faint halo around NGC 3190, and also a very subtle smudge of light between it and NGC 3193, a bridge of stars being shared between the two giants as they embrace in their cosmic dance. Finally, inspect the background of the field and you will find hundreds of tiny yellowish and reddish objects. These are not stars, but extremely distant galaxies, hundreds of millions of light years away. This awesome backdrop almost makes the galaxies of the main group group seem close by! Attached Thumbnails __________________ Thanks, Trump for the civics lesson. We are learning so much about RICO, espionage, sedition, impeachment, the 25th Amendment, order of succession, nepotism, separation of powers, 1st Amendment, obstruction of justice, the emoluments clause, conflicts of interest, collusion, sanctions, oligarchs, money laundering and so much more.
Posts: 40,584

05-04-2011, 03:18 PM	#6
Dave Lane Space Cadet and Aczabel Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kanab, UT, USA Casino cash: $9333275 VARSITY	From last night Close to the Great Bear (Ursa Major) and surrounded by the stars of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici), this celestial nebula was discovered in 1781 by the metric French astronomer Pierre Mechain. Later, it was added to the catalog of his friend and colleague Charles Messier as M106. Modern deep telescopic views reveal it to be an island universe -- a spiral galaxy around 30 thousand light-years across located only about 21 million light-years beyond the stars of the Milky Way. Youthful blue star clusters and reddish stellar nurseries trace the striking spiral arms of M106. Seen so clearly in this beautiful image, the galaxy's bright core is also visible across the spectrum from radio to x-rays, making M106 a nearby example of the Seyfert class of active galaxies. The bright core of a Seyfert galaxy is believed to be powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Thanks, Trump for the civics lesson. We are learning so much about RICO, espionage, sedition, impeachment, the 25th Amendment, order of succession, nepotism, separation of powers, 1st Amendment, obstruction of justice, the emoluments clause, conflicts of interest, collusion, sanctions, oligarchs, money laundering and so much more.
Posts: 40,584