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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
NGC 1365: A Nearby Barred Spiral Galaxy
Explanation: Many spiral galaxies have bars across their centers. Even our own Milky Way Galaxy is thought to have a bar , but perhaps not so prominent as the one in NGC 1365, shown above . The persistence and motion of the bar imply relatively massive spiral arms . The placements of bright young blue stars and dark dust lanes also indicate a strong rotating density wave of star formation. NGC 1365 is a member of the Fornax Cluster of Galaxies . Because NGC 1365 is relatively nearby, simultaneous measurements of its speed and distance are possible, which help astronomers estimate how fast our universe is expanding .
| Date | June 24, 1999 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |