APOD: 2025 August 18 Б NGC 1309: A Useful Spiral Galaxy
Explanation:
This galaxy is not only pretty -- it's useful.
A gorgeous spiral some 100 million light-years distant,
NGC 1309 lies on the
banks of the constellation of the River
(
Eridanus).
NGC 1309 spans about 30,000
light-years, making it about one third the size of our larger
Milky Way galaxy.
Bluish clusters of
young stars and
dust lanes are seen to trace out NGC 1309's spiral arms as they
wind around an older yellowish star population at its core.
Not just another
pretty face-on
spiral galaxy, observations of NGC 1309's two recent supernovas and multiple
Cepheid variable stars contribute to the
calibration of
the expansion of the Universe.
Still, after you get over
this beautiful galaxy's grand design,
check out the array of more distant background
galaxies also recorded in
this sharp image from the
Hubble Space Telescope.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
