Galaxies
Posted by Mr. Buracas on 2008-04-30
We’ve been talking galaxies in class these past few days. Ours, of course, is called the Milky Way because when it is viewed in the night sky from Earth, we see the swath of stars as almost a cloud or mist. We’re actually looking at it on edge, an we’re (Sol and Earth) on an outer arm.
Sound confusing? Here’s an artist’s view of the situation:
And so, along those lines, we’ve been watching the latest HubbleCast, this one entitled “Galaxies Gone Wild“. They’re hosted by the Hubble Site, and it’s well worth going there to explore more.
Hubblecast 16: Galaxies gone wild!
 One of the big mysteries in astronomy is how galaxies grow and evolve over time. Collisions between galaxies are thought to be key events that shape their development. A stunning collection of 59 new images of colliding galaxies has been released to mark the 18th anniversary of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. They give us a unique insight into how galaxies collide to form larger galaxies. |
