by bystander » Mon Mar 19, 2012 5:36 pm
The VLT Goes Lion Hunting (Messier 95)
ESO Picture of the Week | 2012 Mar 19
The Very Large Telescope has captured another member of the Leo I group of galaxies, in the constellation of Leo (The Lion). The galaxy Messier 95 stands boldly face-on, offering an ideal view of its spiral structure. The spiral arms form an almost perfect circle around the galactic centre before they spread out, creating a mane-like effect of which any lion would be proud.
Another, perhaps even more striking, feature of Messier 95 is its blazing golden core. It contains a nuclear star-forming ring, almost 2000 light-years across, where a large proportion of the galaxy’s star formation takes place. This phenomenon occurs mostly in barred spiral galaxies such as Messier 95 and our home, the Milky Way.
In the Leo I group, Messier 95 is outshone by its brother Messier 96 (
potw1143). Messier 96 is in fact the brightest member of the group and — as “leader of the pride” — also gives Leo I its alternative name of the M 96 group. Nevertheless, Messier 95 also makes for a spectacular image.
Credit: ESO
Zoomable Image
[url=http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1212a/][size=120][b][i]The VLT Goes Lion Hunting (Messier 95)[/i][/b][/size][/url]
ESO Picture of the Week | 2012 Mar 19
[quote][float=right][img3=""]http://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/screen/potw1212a.jpg[/img3][/float]
The Very Large Telescope has captured another member of the Leo I group of galaxies, in the constellation of Leo (The Lion). The galaxy Messier 95 stands boldly face-on, offering an ideal view of its spiral structure. The spiral arms form an almost perfect circle around the galactic centre before they spread out, creating a mane-like effect of which any lion would be proud.
Another, perhaps even more striking, feature of Messier 95 is its blazing golden core. It contains a nuclear star-forming ring, almost 2000 light-years across, where a large proportion of the galaxy’s star formation takes place. This phenomenon occurs mostly in barred spiral galaxies such as Messier 95 and our home, the Milky Way.
In the Leo I group, Messier 95 is outshone by its brother Messier 96 ([url=http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1143a/][b]potw1143[/b][/url]). Messier 96 is in fact the brightest member of the group and — as “leader of the pride” — also gives Leo I its alternative name of the M 96 group. Nevertheless, Messier 95 also makes for a spectacular image.
[b][i]Credit: ESO[/i][/b]
[url=http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1212a/zoomable/][b][i]Zoomable Image[/i][/b][/url][/quote]