Dramatically Backlit Dust In Giant Galaxy

SKY NIGHTLY

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and W. Harris (McMaster University, Ontario, Canada). For a larger version of this image please go here.

by Staff Writers
Boston MA (SPX) Apr 13, 2009
A new Hubble image highlights striking swirling dust lanes and glittering globular clusters in oddball galaxy NGC 7049.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured this image of NGC 7049, a mysterious looking galaxy on the border between spiral and elliptical galaxies.

NGC 7049 is found in the constellation of Indus, and is the brightest of a cluster of galaxies, a so-called Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG).

Typical BCGs are some of the oldest and most massive galaxies. They provide excellent opportunities for astronomers to study the elusive globular clusters lurking within.

The globular clusters in NGC 7049 are seen as the sprinkling of small faint points of light in the galaxy's halo. The halo - the ghostly region of diffuse light surrounding the galaxy - is composed of myriads of individual stars and provides a luminous background to the remarkable swirling ring of dust lanes surrounding NGC 7049's core.

Globular clusters are very dense and compact groupings of a few hundreds of thousands of stars bound together by gravity. They contain some of the first stars to be produced in a galaxy.

NGC 7049 has far fewer such clusters than other similar giant galaxies in very big, rich groups. This indicates to astronomers how the surrounding environment influenced the formation of galaxy halos in the early Universe.

The image was taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys on Hubble, which is optimized to hunt for galaxies and galaxy clusters in the remote and ancient Universe, at a time when our cosmos was very young.

The constellation of Indus, or the Indian, is one of the least conspicuous in the southern sky.

It was named in the 16th century by Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius from observations made by Dutch navigator Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Dutch explorer Frederick de Houtman.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us Digg Reddit

YahooMyWeb Google Facebook

Related Links
Hubble Space Telescope
Astronomy News from Skynightly.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

SKY NIGHTLY

Two Galaxies For A Unique Event

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 08, 2009
To celebrate the 100 Hours of Astronomy, ESO is sharing two stunning images of unusual galaxies, both belonging to the Sculptor group of galaxies. The images, obtained at two of ESO's observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile, illustrate the beauty of astronomy.

ENERGY TECH Analysis: Energy prizes spur creativity New, cheaper white light LEDs are created Analysis: Gazprom in Azerbaijan Algae genomes key to regulating carbon emissions: study	CIVIL NUCLEAR Iran must convince world of peaceful intentions: Russia Japan quake-hit nuke plant set to restart soon: official Two EDF executives suspended over Greenpeace affair Kazakhstan may host nuclear fuel bank: president
BLUE SKY Iridescent Ice Clouds From Aircraft Wings Deep-Sea Rocks Point To Early Oxygen On Earth Australia issues warning on Hong Kong's dirty air Rendezvous With HALO	WOOD PILE Potential To Amass More Carbon In Eastern North American Forests Some tree seeds are longtime survivors Indonesia should drop forest carbon credit plan: Greenpeace UN climate talks: Save the forests -- but how?
FARM NEWS Helsinki aims to tackle growing rabbit menace Wine producers pin hopes on China in tough times Flame Retardants Affecting US Coastal Ecosystems Can Organic Cropping Systems Be As Profitable As Conventional Systems	CAR TECH GM aims to double China sales Beijing extends post-Olympics car rules: report Netherlands to introduce car trade-in bonus New Storage System Design Brings Hydrogen Cars Closer To Reality
AEROSPACE Airlines fear failure of global climate talks State takes control of China's first private airline: report Troubled private Chinese airline says president missing Cathay Pacific lost 1.1 billion dollars in 2008	NUCLEAR SPACE Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2 Nuclear Power In Space Outside View: Nuclear future in space

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement