Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 2903
Explanation:
NGC 2903 is a
spiral galaxy similar to our own
Milky Way Galaxy.
Similarities include its general size and a
central bar.
One striking difference, however,
is the appearance of mysterious
hot spots in NGC 2903's core.
Upon inspection of the
above
image and similar images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope,
these
hot spots
were found to be bright
young globular clusters,
in contrast to the uniformly old
globular clusters
found in our
Milky Way Galaxy.
Further
investigation has indicated
that current
star formation
is most rampant in a 2000
light-year
wide
circumnuclear ring
surrounding NGC 2903's center.
Astronomers
hypothesize that the gravity of the
central bar expedites star formation in this ring.
NGC
2903 lies about 25 million
light-years
away and is visible with a
small telescope towards the
constellation of
Leo.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
