wookie
11-26-2006, 11:37 AM
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2006 November 26
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0611/andromeda_gendler.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0611/andromeda_gendler_big.jpg)
M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler (http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/Biography.html) (robgendlerastropixs.com)
Explanation: Andromeda is the nearest major galaxy (http://www.seds.org/messier/galaxy.html) to our own Milky Way Galaxy (http://cassfos02.ucsd.edu/public/tutorial/MW.html). Our Galaxy is thought to look much like Andromeda (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020518.html). Together these two galaxies dominate the Local Group (http://www.seds.org/messier/more/local.html) of galaxies. The diffuse light from Andromeda (http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m031.html) is caused by the hundreds of billions of stars (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#star) that compose it. The several distinct stars that surround Andromeda (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010917.html)'s image are actually stars in our Galaxy (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000518.html) that are well in front of the background object. Andromeda (http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0424.html) is frequently referred to as M31 since it is the 31st object (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960626.html) on Messier (http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/biograph.html)'s list of diffuse sky objects. M31 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020412.html) is so distant it takes about two million years for light to reach us from there. Although visible without aid, the above image (http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M31Page.html) of M31 is a digital mosaic of 20 frames taken with a small telescope. Much about M31 remains unknown (http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1995ApJ...444..157A), including how the center acquired two nuclei (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961011.html).
Tomorrow's picture: ghostly spokes (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061127.html)
< (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061125.html) | Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) | Index (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html) | Search (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search) | Calendar (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html) | Glossary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html) | Education (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html) | About APOD (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html) | Discuss (http://bb.nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewforum.php?f=9) | > (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061127.html) Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html) (MTU (http://www.phy.mtu.edu/)) & Jerry Bonnell (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html) (USRA (http://www.usra.edu/))
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/banner.html)
NASA Official: Phil Newman; Specific rights apply (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply).
A service of: ASD (http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/) at NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/) / GSFC (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/)
& Michigan Tech. U. (http://www.mtu.edu/)
Discover the cosmos! (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2006 November 26
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0611/andromeda_gendler.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0611/andromeda_gendler_big.jpg)
M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler (http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/Biography.html) (robgendlerastropixs.com)
Explanation: Andromeda is the nearest major galaxy (http://www.seds.org/messier/galaxy.html) to our own Milky Way Galaxy (http://cassfos02.ucsd.edu/public/tutorial/MW.html). Our Galaxy is thought to look much like Andromeda (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020518.html). Together these two galaxies dominate the Local Group (http://www.seds.org/messier/more/local.html) of galaxies. The diffuse light from Andromeda (http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m031.html) is caused by the hundreds of billions of stars (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#star) that compose it. The several distinct stars that surround Andromeda (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010917.html)'s image are actually stars in our Galaxy (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000518.html) that are well in front of the background object. Andromeda (http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0424.html) is frequently referred to as M31 since it is the 31st object (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960626.html) on Messier (http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/biograph.html)'s list of diffuse sky objects. M31 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020412.html) is so distant it takes about two million years for light to reach us from there. Although visible without aid, the above image (http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M31Page.html) of M31 is a digital mosaic of 20 frames taken with a small telescope. Much about M31 remains unknown (http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1995ApJ...444..157A), including how the center acquired two nuclei (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961011.html).
Tomorrow's picture: ghostly spokes (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061127.html)
< (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061125.html) | Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) | Index (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html) | Search (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search) | Calendar (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html) | Glossary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html) | Education (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html) | About APOD (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html) | Discuss (http://bb.nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewforum.php?f=9) | > (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061127.html) Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html) (MTU (http://www.phy.mtu.edu/)) & Jerry Bonnell (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html) (USRA (http://www.usra.edu/))
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/banner.html)
NASA Official: Phil Newman; Specific rights apply (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply).
A service of: ASD (http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/) at NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/) / GSFC (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/)
& Michigan Tech. U. (http://www.mtu.edu/)