![]() ![]() But, when you see a photo of a spiral galaxy, a good guess is that the arms trail the direction of rotation. The only way to be sure of the rotational direction is to measure the motions of stars or gas in a galaxy, which requires more than just an image. Galaxies that have recently merged with or been disturbed by another galaxy can sometimes rotate with their spiral arms leading. But there have been some recent observations that suggest not all galaxies rotate with their arms trailing. In most cases, spiral galaxies spin with their arms trailing the direction of rotation. This finding was recently confirmed by a group of citizen scientists who looked at thousands of images of spiral galaxies and determined that half looked to be rotating clockwise and the other half counterclockwise. By extension, galaxies shouldn’t have a preferred direction of spin from our perspective. ![]() This stems from the idea that we live in an “isotropic” universe, which means that the universe looks roughly the same in every direction. But if viewed from the other side, it looks to be spinning counterclockwise.Īstronomers have long thought that about half of all galaxies should be rotating in one direction, and half in the other. When you look at a spinning wheel from one side, it looks like it’s spinning clockwise. As an analogy, consider a spinning bicycle wheel. The direction a galaxy rotates depends on your perspective. Therefore, sky enthusiasts are encouraged to image theĪs often as possible to fill in time gaps left by intermittent observations made by the world's most powerful telescopes.About half of all spiral galaxies appear to be rotating clockwise and the other half counterclockwise. We suggest that a combination of several mechanisms, such as the interaction of M51 with the neighbouring galaxy NGC5195, forcing by the central 'bar', or distortions from density waves, is. SN 2011dh, is still bright enough to follow with a small telescope. The images are blinked to show the location of theĬlassic brightness patterns, the precise brightening and dimming pattern of this or any supernova is hard to predict in advance and can tell astronomers much about what is happening. This image of the core of the nearby spiral galaxy M51, taken with the Wide Field Planetary camera (in PC mode) on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows a striking, dark 'X' silhouetted across the galaxy's nucleus. The June 2 image is one of the first images reported to contain the supernova. M51 taken with a small telescope: one taken on May 30 that does not show the supernova, and one taken on June 2 which does. At magnitude +8.4, it's relatively bright and visible in binoculars, especially from dark sites. It's one of the most famous galaxies in the sky, appearing face-on when viewed from Earth. Supernova surge in M51 are being debated. M51, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Three supernovas in 17 years is a lot for single galaxy, and reasons for the Similar supernova was recorded in M51 during 2005, following yet another one that occurred in 1994. One of the brightest supernovas in recent years has just been recorded in the nearby Whirlpool galaxy (M51). APOD: 2011 June 5 - Another Nearby Supernova in the Whirlpool GalaxyĮach day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isįeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.Īnother Nearby Supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy ![]()
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