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Credit & Copyright: Franz Hofmann,
Gemsbock Observatory
Explanation:
Grand spiral galaxies often seem
to get all the attention, flaunting young, bright, blue
star clusters
and
pinkish star forming
regions along graceful, symmetric spiral arms.
But
small galaxies
form stars too,
like irregular dwarf galaxy
Sextans A.
Its young star clusters and star forming regions are
gathered into a gumdrop-shaped region a mere 5,000 light-years across.
Seen toward the navigational constellation Sextans, the small galaxy
lies some
4.5 million light-years distant.
That puts it near the outskirts of the
local group
of galaxies, that includes the large, massive spirals
Andromeda and our own
Milky Way.
Brighter Milky Way foreground stars appear spiky and yellowish in
this
colorful telescopic view of Sextans A.
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Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: dwarf irregular galaxy
Publications with words: dwarf irregular galaxy
See also: