Spiral Galaxies Stripped Bare

[n2doc]

Six spectacular spiral galaxies are seen in a clear new light in images from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The pictures were taken in infrared light, using the impressive power of the HAWK-I camera, and will help astronomers understand how the remarkable spiral patterns in galaxies form and evolve.

HAWK-I <1> is one of the newest and most powerful cameras on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is sensitive to infrared light, which means that much of the obscuring dust in the galaxies’ spiral arms becomes transparent to its detectors. Compared to the earlier, and still much-used, VLT infrared camera ISAAC, HAWK-I has sixteen times as many pixels to cover a much larger area of sky in one shot and, by using newer technology than ISAAC, it has a greater sensitivity to faint infrared radiation <2>. Because HAWK-I can study galaxies stripped bare of the confusing effects of dust and glowing gas it is ideal for studying the vast numbers of stars that make up spiral arms.

The six galaxies are part of a study of spiral structure led by Preben Grosbøl at ESO. These data were acquired to help understand the complex and subtle ways in which the stars in these systems form into such perfect spiral patterns.

The first image shows NGC 5247, a spiral galaxy dominated by two huge arms, located 60–70 million light-years away. The galaxy lies face-on towards Earth, thus providing an excellent view of its pinwheel structure. It lies in the zodiacal constellation of Virgo (the Maiden).


more with bigger pics

http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1042/

[HopeHoops]

1. HEY! No "sex posts" are allowed on DU!

:hi:

[Demoiselle]

2. Aw jeez. My first thought was that our ecological sins are destroying the universe, too.

I'm relieved.

[Chulanowa]

3. Pfffft!

We live in a universe where at any moment, a gamma burst from a supernova we have NO IDEA exists could obliterate the entire inner belt of the solar system. Just a momentary burp in the smooth flow of the universe, comparable to you not picking your foot up high enough when going up some steps. Just like that, boom, annihilation of the rocky planets. under three seconds.

We might be able to screw up our planet. we may even have a chance to screw up the Moon or Mars. But we're about as threatening to the universe itself as... uh,,, Well, I can't think of a metaphor that conveys how non-threatening we are, since they'd all be MORE threatening.