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Credit & Copyright: ESA/Hubble,
NASA;
Acknowledgements:
G. Chapdelaine & L. Limatola
Explanation:
M61 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the nearby
Virgo Cluster of Galaxies.
Visible in
M61
are a host of features common to spiral
galaxies: bright
spiral arms,
a
central bar,
dust lanes, and
bright knots of stars.
M61, also known as
NGC 4303, in similar to our own
Milky Way Galaxy.
M61 was discovered by telescope in 1779
twice on the same day,
but one observer initially mistook the galaxy for a comet.
Light from
M61 takes about 55 million
years to reach us.
The above image of the central regions of
M61
was taken with the
Hubble Space Telescope
and adapted for release as part of the
Hubble's Hidden Treasures image processing competition.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: spiral galaxy - spiral arms
Publications with words: spiral galaxy - spiral arms
See also: