Starship Asterisk*

I don't know if this is answer you are looking for; but it gives a little insight to the shape of spiral galaxies. 8)

http://www.obspm.fr/actual/nouvelle/aug ... n.en.shtml

Orin

It's just a guess, mostly gravity?

Norval

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060827.html

I was just wondering what gives barred Spiral Galaxies their unique shape?

Hello Martin

You hit the nail on the head.

The size of the MECO (BH) will determine the formation of the galaxy.

I think the point is that it doesn't have a "known" central super massive BH. We do not see one active.

However, current observations steer towards - that all galaxies have one. That there is a distinct relationship between galaxy formation and super massive gravity wells.

If I remember correctly

Hello

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060827.html

This galaxy would have more than one MECO (BH) and millions in its arms. If it is smilar to the milky way.

MECO
http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0602453

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060827.html

here' the new planet alighment.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060828.html


As far as I'm concerned you can.
Orin

Hi! I'm a long time fan of APOD (I have a folder of nearly 6 years of pics!), but this is my first post on this forum.

I think I was inspired to post by all the recent hullabaloo over nomenclature at the IAU; likely a hot topic!

The APOD for 26/8/06 (which is a beautiful pic, by the way!) refers to NGC1300 as an 'island universe'. I am aware of the term; my dad has an encyclopaedia from the 1940's that has some wonderful hand-painted illustrations of 'island universes'.

Surely the term is an anachronism nowdays? After all, we don't refer to 'busses' as 'motor-charabancs', or 'cars' as 'horseless carriages' unless we are trying to be anachronistic, obscure or both!

If we can keep refering to galaxies as 'island universes', can we also please keep refering to Ceres and Juno as 'planets' as they were originally described?

I expect an IAU lynch mob to be on my doorstep in moments to re-educate me!

Cheers, and thanks to the APOD editors & contributors for years & years of daily art for my desktop!

Adrian

Hi - Your 8-27-06 APOD says NGC 1300 has NO central supermassive
black hole. However, a search at the Harvard ADS site shows that
in May, 2005 a group found evidence for one weighing in at several
10^7 solar masses.

See
arXiv:astro-ph/0502573

cheers
Gene