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Showing posts from November, 2017

Interacting Galaxies

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Interacting galaxies (colliding galaxies) are galaxies whose gravitational fields result in a disturbance of one another. An example of a minor interaction is a satellite galaxy 's disturbing the primary galaxy's spiral arms . An example of a major interaction is a galactic collision, which may lead to a galaxy merger . Google  

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

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The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting [7] grand-design [8] spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus [9] in the constellation Canes Venatici . It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. [10] Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way , [3] but different methods yield distances between 15 and 35 million light-years. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky. [11] The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195 , [12] are easily observed by amateur astronomers , and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars . [13] The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understand galaxy structure (particularly structure associated with the spiral arms ) and galaxy interactions. Google

Las Cumbres Observatory

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Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) is a non-profit private operating foundation directed by the technologist Wayne Rosing , located in Goleta, California . The telescopes are located at both northern and southern hemisphere sites distributed in longitude around the Earth. For some astronomical objects, the longitudinal spacing of telescopes allows continuous observations over 24 hours or longer. The operating network currently consists of two 2-meter telescopes, nine 1-meter telescopes, and seven 40-cm telescopes, placed at six astronomical observatories. The network operates as a single, integrated, observing facility, using a software scheduler that continuously optimizes the planned observing schedule of each individual telescope. https://www.google.com/search?q=las+cumbres+observatory&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8   https://lco.global/    

NGTS-1b: A hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarf

A giant planet has been found orbiting an ultracool dwarf star — the largest planet compared to its star ever found — leaving scientists baffled at how the duo could have formed. The planet NGTS-1b is situated 600 light-years from our solar system, according to a statement from the University of Warwick, and it is a gas giant about the size of Jupiter. Its star, on the other hand, is just half the mass and radius of the sun. The planet orbits its star at 3 percent the distance from the Earth to the sun, and it whips around a full orbit every 2.6 Earth days. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1710.11099v1.pdf https://www.space.com/38625-monster-planet-circles-tiny-star.html