(click on image to enlarge)
From NASA/ ESA, July 1, 2019: This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week shows bright, colourful pockets of star formation blooming like roses in a spiral galaxy named NGC 972.
The orange-pink glow is created as hydrogen gas reacts to
the intense light streaming outwards from nearby newborn stars; these
bright patches can be seen here amid dark, tangled streams of cosmic dust.
Astronomers look for these telltale signs of star formation
when they study galaxies throughout the cosmos, as star formation
rates, locations, and histories offer critical clues as to how these
colossal collections of gas and dust have evolved over time. New
generations of stars contribute to — and are also, in turn, influenced
by — the broader forces and factors that mould galaxies throughout the
Universe, such as gravity, radiation, matter, and dark matter.
German-British astronomer William Herschel is credited with
the discovery of NGC 972 in 1784. Astronomers have since measured its
distance, finding it to be just under 70 million light-years.
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, L. Ho
Catching a few mentions that some scientists are starting to question whether or not Dark Matter really exists. There basing this premise on that all Dark Matter detectors are still coming up with nothing despite the increased sensitivity.
ReplyDeleteNow I admit, that's just the headlines and a couple of lines of internet articles. Hoping to catch a Scientific American article on the subject.
Herschel had some amazingly sharp eyes given that we're talking about the technology of 1784. Re: dark matter issue. Hadn't heard that something scientists have only been able to postulate through mathematics still hasn't been observed. Not the first time that's happened though probably not on such a gigantic scale previously.
ReplyDeleteBB -- it's pretty incredible how much we know and how much more we don't know, not just about the universe and its physics, but about our own planet (the deep ocean, species undiscovered, etc.). Unfortunately, a lifespan is too short to see the solution to many of the mysteries.
ReplyDeleteJimbo -- yes, that Herschel was able to see the galaxy at that distance in 1784 is pretty remarkable, as you say. Dark matter is a concept that I'm not ashamed to admit is beyond my understanding.
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