They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but for astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, this is more than an expression. Scientists learn a great deal about our Universe from image data alone.
In spite of a much-needed servicing visit, the Hubble Space Telescope just delivered yet another stunning image. The latest target is the Coma Cluster, one of the densest galaxy groups known to astronomers. Scientists will use the image to learn more about galaxy formation & evolution, and to compare galaxies in different environments.
Containing more than one-thousand galaxies, the Coma Cluster spans twenty million light years and resides some three hundred million light years away. Together, these galaxies represent one of two major components of an even larger group, the Coma Supercluster. The Hubble image depicts a remarkable menagerie of size, shape, interaction, and galactic evolution that is of particular interest to scientists.
Many of the cluster’s individual galaxies are visible through the Slooh telescopes and members have already run several missions to observe the region. Join us this Saturday evening at 9PM EDT/1AM UTC, as we focus on this fascinating cluster. We will observe three main regions of the Coma Cluster LIVE, including that of the Hubble image, as we guide you through the intricacies of the individual galaxies. Here’s your chance to take your own picture of this new Hubble classic.
Last week, a bright asteroid Iris slipped passed the Sombrero Galaxy, and several members captured the event with the SLOOH telescopes. MaynardP. combined two images to create this animation; and EugeneM.’s image was published on the Spaceweather.com website.
While these two objects may appear similarly sized and close to each other, quite the opposite is true. 7/Iris is one of our solar system’s largest and brightest asteroids, a stony object measuring some 225 km wide and reaching 6th magnitude at perihelion. Traveling at an average 20 km/sec, Iris’ distance can be measured in millions of miles as it orbits the Sun every 1,345 days. The Sombrero Galaxy, on the other hand, is an island unto itself – an immense region of gas and dust measuring tens of thousands of light years wide and home to potentially billions of Iris-type objects. It is some fifty-million light years distant and is moving constantly away from us at an average speed of 1,000 km/sec. So, Iris and the Sombrero are really two vastly different worlds simply sharing a tiny region of the sky for just a few nights, but much to our viewing delight.
Did you, too, image this event? Check your Sombrero Galaxy folder and share your findings in the SLOOH Forum. And remember — keep a sharp eye, because you never know what treasures you’ll capture through the SLOOH telescopes.
Tonight on Slooh Radio, SkyGuide Marleen Bryan will give us a virtual tour of the celestial objects usually viewed through the Slooh scopes at 9PM ET/1AM UT - a perfect show considering the weather is not cooperating at the moment. You’ll learn about what they’re made of and their history, plus a comparison of what some objects look like through space based telescopes like Hubble and Spitzer. Here are the slides to follow along. To see them in fullscreen, click “view” underneath the images and it will bring you to the slideshare site with more viewing options.
Hey Slooh Fans,
Check out this latest animation of Jupiter from 3/31 by member Harold C.
Who can name the moon on the left?
Check out more member pics at mySlooh.com.
Slooh Member Gregory S. had clouds over his home skies, but was able to still enjoy the Messier Marathon on Slooh. Here’s his collage of all the objects taken with the Canary Islands observatory. Congratulations on capturing them all! See his post in the forum.
Tonight at 9PM ET/2AM UT - join Thomas Kennedy & Larry Wadill for Slooh’s DIY astrophography show on Slooh Radio. Learn how to get the most out of your sky shots!
Here is the slideshow to go along with their presentation.
Live on Slooh Radio tonight after David Levy, Slooh SkyGuide Kochava’s tour of the constellation Cancer, the best astronomy show on rainy nights!
Enjoy the pictures, all taken with the Slooh telescopes, and the LIVE Sky Safari!
You can watch the whole show here - or click on “view” below the images, then click “full” on the slideshare site to see it in fullscreen mode.
