Tag: young stars

A Lot Going on in One Galaxy Image

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Maybe I am a starry-eyed dreamer, or maybe I just treat astronomy like a little kid opening birthday presents, but every time I see a new Hubble image I am blown away by it.  Today’s mind-blowing photo is of Messier 63, the Sunflower Galaxy, located in Canes Venatici. It shows the central region of the galaxy and out tot he spiral arms.  The arms are clearly visible due to the bright blue clusters of newly formed stars intermixed with dark patched of thick gas and dust.  In between the arms lie older, redder stars.  Closest to the centre, the yellowish...

Andromeda Unlocks Secrets of Galaxies

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Remember that amazing high-def photo of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, from Hubble a few months back? It was able to separate the light from the galaxy into the millions of visible stars that populate its spiral arms.  This image is used for far more than the wow factor of seeing another galaxy up close.  It allows us to study the entire galaxy and gain insights into the lives of spiral galaxies beyond our own, how they formed, how they evolve, and maybe even how they will eventually die. By looking at the spiral arms of M31, where the youngest and...