APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
Post Reply
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5344
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
Contact:

APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by APOD Robot » Sat Feb 26, 2011 5:06 am

Image Shell Galaxies in Pisces

Explanation: This colorful cosmic skyscape features a peculiar system of galaxies cataloged as Arp 227 some 100 million light-years distant. Swimming within the boundaries of the constellation Pisces, Arp 227 consists of the two galaxies prominent on the left; the curious shell galaxy NGC 474 and its blue, spiral-armed neighbor NGC 470. The faint, wide arcs or shells of NGC 474 could have been formed by a gravitational encounter with neighbor NGC 470. Alternately the shells could be caused by a merger with a smaller galaxy producing an effect analogous to ripples across the surface of a pond. Remarkably, the large galaxy on the right hand side of the deep image, NGC 467, appears to be surrounded by faint shells too, evidence of another interacting galaxy system. Intriguing background galaxies are scattered around the field that also includes spiky foreground stars. Of course, those stars lie well within our own Milky Way Galaxy. The field of view spans 25 arc minutes or about 1/2 degree on the sky.

<< Previous APODDiscuss Any APOD Next APOD >>
[/b]

User avatar
Beyond
500 Gigaderps
Posts: 6889
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:09 am
Location: BEYONDER LAND

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by Beyond » Sat Feb 26, 2011 5:19 am

WOW! What a picture to end the week on. And theres so much Blue, here and there. Especially in one galaxy. Sure would make a nice wallpaper!!
To find the Truth, you must go Beyond.

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by neufer » Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:55 am

Art Neuendorffer

jando35

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by jando35 » Sat Feb 26, 2011 2:50 pm

Brilliant photo - and fascinating comments.

As a total ignoramous, can someone comment on the galaxy bottom right below the brightest blue star. It appears to have a perpendicular component - possibly another unconnected galaxy?

User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18102
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by Chris Peterson » Sat Feb 26, 2011 2:57 pm

jando35 wrote:As a total ignoramous, can someone comment on the galaxy bottom right below the brightest blue star. It appears to have a perpendicular component - possibly another unconnected galaxy?
Yes, another galaxy. Hard to say from this image if it's a much smaller foreground galaxy or a more distant galaxy seen through the arms of a closer one. Most likely, the small bright galaxy is the closer of the two.
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com

User avatar
NoelC
Creepy Spock
Posts: 876
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:30 am
Location: South Florida, USA; I just work in (cyber)space
Contact:

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by NoelC » Sat Feb 26, 2011 5:54 pm

neufer wrote:Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane
Art, do you have a photographic memory? You make more surprising and interesting visual connections than anyone I've ever known.

-Noel

stareagle

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by stareagle » Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:09 pm

are the "shells" homogenic stars or uniform gas clouds lit by the central star cluster?

could they be massive nova shells?

nice and grand...

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by neufer » Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:04 pm

NoelC wrote:
neufer wrote:
Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane
Art, do you have a photographic memory?
No; I just spent a wanton childhood.
NoelC wrote:
You make more surprising and interesting visual connections than anyone I've ever known.
I'm glad you appreciate them, Noel.
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by orin stepanek » Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:23 pm

neufer wrote:[/float]
I wonder how Wonder Woman does that; standing on the wing on her glass plane. In outer space yet; I presume.
Darn; I wish those smileys were working.
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by orin stepanek » Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:27 pm

The shells on the galaxies look kinda like halo's around them. Especially NGC 474!
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18102
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by Chris Peterson » Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:50 pm

orin stepanek wrote:I wonder how Wonder Woman does that; standing on the wing on her glass plane. In outer space yet; I presume.
Darn; I wish those smileys were working.
I think it is related to the method used by the Six Million Dollar Man to reach up while standing on the ground and pull escaping helicopters back to the ground.
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Shell Galaxies in Pisces (2011 Feb 26)

Post by neufer » Sat Feb 26, 2011 11:12 pm

orin stepanek wrote:
I wonder how Wonder Woman does that; standing on the wing on her glass plane. In outer space yet; I presume.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_plane wrote:
  • * The invisible jet propels itself by harnessing graviton particles. It is in this fashion also that it shields its passengers from the forces of sudden acceleration. In outer space, the craft can extrude a portion of itself around Wonder Woman. Without taking in additional air supply, it can process one's own exhaled oxygen to allow breathing for 20 minutes. It can sense Wonder Woman's thoughts and will respond to her needs.

    * At one point, Aphrodite granted the plane the power to fly faster than the speed of light for any interstellar voyages her champion might undertake. Thanks to tinkering by gremlins, the Plane even developed intelligence and the power to talk. The Plane proved a good friend, eager to help his "mistress" and her loved ones in any way possible. It got along especially well with Steve Trevor.
The being that would one day be called the Invisible Plane began life as an alien "morphing crystal" circling a distant planet with its "family," other morphing crystals who are collectivily called the Ring. In their natural state, the Plane and its fellow members of the Ring resemble eggs made of semi transparent plastic. In time, it was separated from its family and was found by the Lansinarians, a blind subterannean race that lived underneath Antarctica. The Lansinarians could not react quickly enough to changes in their environment. Thus, they developed the morphing crystal they had found into a life support device that catered to their needs. These beings later bestow the device on Wonder Woman in gratitude for saving them. The plane, which possesses a sophisticated artificial intelligence, responds to Wonder Woman's thoughts. It is able to render itself invisible as well as alter its shape, transforming into any form of vehicle its bearer desires, be it a jet, submarine, motorcycle, or horse-drawn chariot.

The Plane appeared in the very first comic stories, including All-Star Comics #8. Wonder Woman/Princess Diana of Themyscira is seen storing the plane at an abandoned farm near Washington, D.C., in the barn; she goes there as Lt. Diana Prince and changes clothes in some of the earliest tales.The telepathic capacities of Wonder Woman's tiara allow her to summon it, often to hover or swoop by the War Department, and she would exit on a rope ladder. She uses the plane to fly into outer space, and frequently transports Etta Candy and Holliday Girls, Steve Trevor, or others. During the 1950s, the plane became a jet, and was often shown swooping over (WW's alias) Lt. Diana Prince's office; she stripped out of her uniform at super speed and would bound to the plane. Though the Plane was depicted as semi transparent for the reader's convenience, in-story dialogue indicated that it actually was completely invisible or at least able to become so as the need arose.

In the 2010 animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Wonder Woman commandeers an attack plane from Owlman (an evil version of Batman) while the Justice League is on a parallel Earth dominated by their villainous counterparts, the Crime Syndicate. During the battle, the plane's cloaking device (the "Chameleon Circuit") shorts out while still in use, placing the vehicle in "cloak" mode permanently. After the mission's successful completion, Wonder Woman keeps the invisible plane as "spoils of war".>>
Art Neuendorffer

Post Reply