June 8, 2001
Long before your first heartbeat, stars were busy forging the elements you would one day call your own.
Three Galaxies in Draco
Birthday · June 8, 2001
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published June 8, 2001. Credit: Robert Gendler. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This intriguing trio of galaxies is sometimes called the NGC 5985/Draco Group and so (quite reasonably) is located in the northern constellation Draco. From left to right are face-on spiral NGC 5985, elliptical galaxy NGC 5982, and edge-on spiral NGC 5981 -- all within this single telescopic field of view spanning a little more than half the width of the full moon. While this grouping is far too small to be a galaxy cluster and has not been cataloged as a compact group, these galaxies do lie roughly 100 million light-years from planet Earth. On close examination with spectrographs, the bright core of the striking face-on spiral NGC 5985 shows prominent emission in specific wavelengths of light, prompting astronomers to classify it as a Seyfert, a type of active galaxy. Not as well known as other tight groupings of galaxies, the contrast in visual appearance makes this triplet an attractive subject for avid astrophotographers.
Image credit: Robert Gendler