All Articles Tagged As: spiral galaxies

Forming the present-day spiral galaxies (2/6/2010)

Using data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have created a demographic census of galaxy types and shapes from a time before the Earth and the sun existed, to the present day. The results show that more than half of the present-day spiral galaxies had peculiar shapes only six billion years ago, which, if confirmed, highlights the importance of collisions and mergers in the recent past of many galaxies. It also provides clues for the unique status of our own galaxy. ...> Full Article

Baffling boxy bulge (11/19/2009)

Just as many people are surprised to find themselves packing on unexplained weight around the middle, astronomers find the evolution of bulges in the centers of spiral galaxies puzzling. A recent NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 4710 is part of a survey that astronomers have conducted to learn more about the formation of bulges, which are a substantial component of most spiral galaxies. ...> Full Article

Herschel's daring test: A glimpse of things to come (6/22/2009)

Herschel opened its "eyes" on June 14 and the Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer obtained images of M51, "the whirlpool galaxy" for a first test observation. Scientists obtained images in three colors from the observation, which clearly demonstrate the superiority of Herschel, the largest infrared space telescope ever flown. ...> Full Article

Black hole outflows from Centaurus A detected with APEX (2/2/2009)

Astronomers have a new insight into the active galaxy Centaurus A, as the jets and lobes emanating from the central black hole have been imaged at submillimeter wavelengths for the first time. The new data, from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope in Chile, which is operated by ESO, have been combined with visible and X-ray wavelengths to produce this striking new image. ...> Full Article

Frantic activity revealed in dusty stellar factories (1/24/2009)

Thanks to the Very Large Telescope's acute and powerful near-infrared eye, astronomers have uncovered a host of new young, massive and dusty stellar nurseries in nearby galaxy NGC 253. The centre of this galaxy appears to harbor a twin of our own Milky Way's supermassive black hole. ...> Full Article

Astrophysicist helps map the Milky Way's 4 spiral arms (1/9/2009)

Martin Pohl, an Iowa State University associate professor of physics and astronomy, is part of a research team that developed the first complete map of the Milky Way galaxy's spiral arms. The map shows two prominent, symmetric spiral arms in the inner part of the galaxy. The arms extend into the outer galaxy where they branch into four spiral arms. ...> Full Article

'Missing link' galaxies discovered (12/2/2008)

Astronomers at the University of Nottingham have identified a type of galaxy that could be the missing link in our understanding of galaxy evolution. ...> Full Article

Stars stop forming when big galaxies collide (10/11/2008)

Astronomers studying new images of a nearby galaxy cluster have found evidence that high-speed collisions between large elliptical galaxies may prevent new stars from forming ...> Full Article

The Thousand-Ruby Galaxy (9/4/2008)

A prodigious pinwheel shines in the darkness ...> Full Article

Astronomers describe the bar scene at the beginning of the universe (7/31/2008)

Bars abound in spiral galaxies today, but this was not always the case. ...> Full Article

Black holes have simple feeding habits (6/19/2008)

The biggest black holes may feed just like the smallest ones ...> Full Article

Milky Way's Inner Beauty Revealed (6/9/2008)

Galaxy isn't as messy as many thought, evidence indicates some balance and order, like the yin and yang of Chinese philosophy ...> Full Article

Milky Way Mapping Project Finds Surprisingly Slow Stars (6/8/2008)

Astronomers get their first good look at the structure of the Milky Way and the motions of its young stars ...> Full Article

Large binocular telescope achieves first binocular light (3/7/2008)

Astronomers hail first views with twin giant mirrors a milestone for science ...> Full Article

Cosmic Interactions (1/27/2008)

An image based on data taken with ESO's Very Large Telescope reveals a triplet of galaxies intertwined in a cosmic dance. ...> Full Article

Even Thin Galaxies Can Grow Fat Black Holes (1/18/2008)

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected plump black holes where least expected -- skinny galaxies. Like people, galaxies come in different shapes and sizes. There are thin spirals both with and without central bulges of stars, and more rotund ellipticals that are themselves like giant bulges. Scientists have long held that all galaxies except the slender, bulgeless spirals harbor supermassive black holes at their cores. Furthermore, bulges were thought to be required for black holes to grow. ...> Full Article

Astronomers on Team Describing New Evidence of 'Inconvenient' Galaxy (1/10/2008)

Discovery of two new components within a puzzling spiral galaxy confirm it must have a pair of arms winding in the opposite direction from most galaxies, according to results being presented today to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Austin, Texas. Presenting the results are Drs. Gene Byrd and Ron Buta, from The University of Alabama; Tarsh Freeman, Bevill Community College; and Dr. Sethanne Howard, retired from the U.S. Naval Observatory. ...> Full Article

Astronomy Teams Discover Ancestors of Milky Way-Type Galaxies (1/10/2008)

Astronomers at Rutgers and Penn State universities have discovered galaxies in the distant universe that are ancestors of spiral galaxies like our Milky Way. ...> Full Article

Anatomy of a Bird (12/26/2007)

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, an international team of astronomers has discovered a stunning rare case of a triple merger of galaxies. This system, which astronomers have dubbed 'The Bird' - albeit it also bears resemblance with a cosmic Tinker Bell - is composed of two massive spiral galaxies and a third irregular galaxy. ...> Full Article