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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
Hubble,
Janice Lee;
Processing & Copyright:
Leo Shatz;
Text:
Karen Masters
Explanation:
ItÁs always nice to get a new view of an old friend.
This stunning
Hubble Space Telescope image of nearby
spiral galaxy M66 is just
that.
A spiral galaxy with a small central bar, M66 is a member of the
Leo Galaxy Triplet, a group of three galaxies about 30
million light years from us.
The Leo Triplet is a
popular target for relatively
small telescopes, in part because
M66 and its galactic companions
M65 and
NGC 3628
all appear separated by about the
angular width
of a
full moon.
The featured image of
M66 was taken by Hubble
to help
investigate
the connection between
star formation and
molecular gas clouds.
Clearly visible are
bright blue stars,
pink ionized hydrogen clouds
-- sprinkled all along the outer spiral arms, and dark
dust lanes
in which more
star formation could be
hiding.
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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
Publications with words: spiral galaxy
See also: