Messier 101
by Barbara McMahon
Title
Messier 101
Artist
Barbara McMahon
Medium
Photograph - Photograph/digital
Description
A spiral galaxy is a certain kind of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae and, as such, forms part of the Hubble sequence. Spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, and a central concentration of stars known as the bulge. These are surrounded by a much fainter halo of stars, many of which reside in globular clusters.
Spiral galaxies are named for the spiral structures that extend from the center into the disk. The spiral arms are sites of ongoing star formation and are brighter than the surrounding disk because of the young, hot OB stars that inhabit them.
Roughly two-thirds of all spirals are observed to have an additional component in the form of a bar-like structure, extending from the central bulge, at the ends of which the spiral arms begin. Our own Milky Way has recently (in the 1990s) been confirmed to be a barred spiral, although the bar itself is difficult to observe from our position within the Galactic disk. The most convincing evidence for its existence comes from a recent survey, performed by the Spitzer Space Telescope, of stars in the Galactic center.
Together with irregular galaxies, spiral galaxies make up approximately 60% of galaxies in the local Universe. They are mostly found in low-density regions and are rare in the centers of galaxy clusters.
Please note, I did not shoot this image. Credit for the original image is given to NASA and STScI. It was captured by the Hubble telescope and I have put my own "spin" on it.
Uploaded
December 14th, 2012
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Comments (22)
Michele Penner
Gorgeous image! Can't imagine what kind of camera you need to take a photo like this. Amazing.
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you Michele! This image was originally shot by the Hubble Space Telescope. I have reworked the original and put my own "spin" on it!
Doug Kreuger
Spectacular cosmos capture Barbara! Highly thought-provoking artwork! L&F
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you Doug for your lovely comment! The universe is mind-boggling in its beauty and infiniteness!
Inspired Nature Photography By Shelley Myke
I love this image Barbara. Voted. Congratulations on your sale!
Catherine Howard
This is fascinating, Barbara.. loved reading the description and congratulations also!