Event Date: May 3rd
Time: 5:00 AM
Brief
Yesterday, I showed the Andromeda Galaxy enlarged, and there are two much smaller galaxies near it, fitting in the same field. One of them, (M)essier 32, is a dwarf-companion galaxy of the larger M31, while M110 is a satellite galaxy of M31.
Before I go further, I will mention that Charles Messier was a French Astronomer who's numerical catalog of 110 "comet-lookalikes" became one of the best known catalogs in the astronomy world. Through the much weaker telescopes he had then, in comparison to today's, galaxies, nebulae and star clusters looked less clear. Although some appeared to look like comets, they never moved against the fixed stars, hence figured to be something else. The image is similar to yesterday's zoom-in of the Andromeda Galaxy, although this time, I labeled M32 and M110.
Time: 5:00 AM
Brief
Yesterday, I showed the Andromeda Galaxy enlarged, and there are two much smaller galaxies near it, fitting in the same field. One of them, (M)essier 32, is a dwarf-companion galaxy of the larger M31, while M110 is a satellite galaxy of M31.
Before I go further, I will mention that Charles Messier was a French Astronomer who's numerical catalog of 110 "comet-lookalikes" became one of the best known catalogs in the astronomy world. Through the much weaker telescopes he had then, in comparison to today's, galaxies, nebulae and star clusters looked less clear. Although some appeared to look like comets, they never moved against the fixed stars, hence figured to be something else. The image is similar to yesterday's zoom-in of the Andromeda Galaxy, although this time, I labeled M32 and M110.
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| click on image to enlarge: courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus, version 6.4.3, by Simulation Curriculum Corp. |
Detailed
Shaped as ellipses, these two galaxies are simply given that term. The Andromeda however, is a spiral galaxy, as our Milky Way galaxy is. More on the Milky Way tomorrow, as I compare it further with the larger Andromeda. Getting back to M110 and 32, they have interesting characteristics: 32 us believed to have lost stars to 31, and therefore much smaller. With today's photography taking pictures of 110 in space, including the Hubble, it is observed to have dust clouds. As a result, it is also called a dwarf spheroid.
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