Spiral Galaxy NGC 2997 from VLT
Explanation:
NGC 2997 is a grand design
spiral galaxy.
Its small nucleus and sprawling spiral arms give it a type
Sc designation.
NGC 2997,
pictured above, is
speeding away from us at about 1100 kilometers per second,
which would place it at about 55 million
light years distant,
given current estimates of the
expansion rate of our universe.
NGC 2997 is thought to have a
mass of about 100 billion times that of our
Sun,
but is probably less massive than our own
Milky Way galaxy.
NGC 2997 is not seen
face-on -
it is thought tilted by about 45 degrees.
NGC 2997 is particularly
notable
for a
nucleus surrounded by a
chain of hot giant clouds of
ionized
hydrogen.
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.
