August 6, 2009
The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us, and yet here you are — a collection of atoms that somehow learned to think, to...
Galaxies in Pegasus
Birthday · August 6, 2009
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APOD published August 6, 2009. Credit: Dietmar Hager. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This wide, sharp telescopic view reveals galaxies scattered beyond the stars at the northern boundary of the high-flying constellation Pegasus. Prominent at the upper right is NGC 7331. A mere 50 million light-years away, the large spiral is one of the brighter galaxies not included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. The disturbed looking group of galaxies at the lower left is well-known as Stephan's Quintet. About 300 million light-years distant, the quintet dramatically illustrates a multiple galaxy collision, its powerful, ongoing interactions posed for a brief cosmic snapshot. On the sky, the quintet and NGC 7331 are separated by about half a degree.
Image credit: Dietmar Hager