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Picture of the day - May 24, 2005
The Sombrero Galaxy
Photo courtesy of NASA.
The universe is an awesome thing for the human mind to even try to
comprehend.
It contains billions of galaxies, and each of those galaxies contains billions
of stars, many of which have planets and moons (satellites) orbiting
around them. There are comets, nebulae and all types of other objects whirling
through space at speeds and distances we cannot even begin to put into proper perspective.
In fact, our own solar
system, while vast by human standards, is just a tiny speck in the context
of the entire universe!
Galaxies are arguably the most spectacular objects in the heavens, and their
diverse shapes and unique characteristics make them a favorite target for most astronomers'
telescopes,
professional and amateur alike. Today's picture features the beautiful Sombrero
Galaxy, so named because it is shaped like, well, a Mexican sombrero!
The Sombrero Galaxy gets it shape thanks to a couple of its characteristics:
- The central bulge of stars is much larger and wider than the ones found in
most galaxies. This super-sized star cluster creates one of the brightest and
most perfectly shaped "globes" of light of all the galaxies that we
know of.
- The dark, clearly defined outer ring (consisting of dust and numerous young
stars) gives the "hat" a definite "brim".
This photo of the Sombrero Galaxy was taken by the amazing Hubble
Space Telescope.
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