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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.
The Magnetic Fields of Spiral Galaxy M77
Explanation: Can magnetic fields help tell us how spiral galaxies form and evolve? To find out, the HAWC+ instrument on NASA's airborne ( 747 ) SOFIA observatory observed nearby spiral galaxy M77 . HAWC+ maps magnetism by observing polarized infrared light emitted by elongated dust grains rotating in alignment with the local magnetic field . The HAWC+ image shows that magnetic fields do appear to trace the spiral arms in the inner regions of M77 , arms that likely highlight density waves in the inflowing gas, dust and stars caused by the gravity of the galaxy's oval shape. The featured picture superposes the HAWC+ image over diffuse X-ray emission mapped by NASA's NuSTAR satellite and visible light images taken by Hubble and the SDSS . M77 is located about 47 million light years away toward the constellation of the Sea Monster ( Cetus ).
| Date | December 16, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit: NASA , SOFIA , HAWC+ ; JPL-Caltech , Roma Tre. U. ; ESA , Hubble , NuSTAR , SDSS |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |