M60-UCD1: NASA's Hubble and Chandra Find Evidence for Densest Nearby Galaxy

M60-UCD1: NASA's Hubble and Chandra Find Evidence for Densest Nearby Galaxy

The densest galaxy in the nearby Universe may have been found, as described in our latest press release. The galaxy, known as M60-UCD1, is located near a massive elliptical galaxy NGC 4649, also called M60, about 54 million light years from Earth.

This composite image shows M60 and the region around it, where data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory are pink and data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) are red, green and blue. The Chandra image shows hot gas and double stars containing black holes and neutron stars and the HST image reveals stars in M60 and neighboring galaxies including M60-UCD1. The inset is a close-up view of M60-UCD1 in an HST image.

Packed with an extraordinary number of stars, M60-UCD1 is an "ultra-compact dwarf galaxy". It was discovered with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and follow-up observations were done with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes.

It is the most luminous known galaxy of its type and one of the most massive, weighing 200 million times more than our Sun, based on observations with the Keck 10-meter telescope in Hawaii. Remarkably, about half of this mass is found within a radius of only about 80 light years. This would make the density of stars about 15,000 times greater than found in Earth's neighborhood in the Milky Way, meaning that the stars are about 25 times closer.

Read more:
http://chandra.si.edu/photo/2013/m60/

Credit:  X-ray: NASA/CXC/MSU/J.Strader et al, Optical: NASA/STScI

#space   #NASA   #Hubble   #Chandra   #science   #ScienceSunday   #scienceeveryday  

2013-09-24

3 photos

Exploring the Third Dimension of Cassiopeia A

Exploring the Third Dimension of Cassiopeia A

One of the most famous objects in the sky - the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant - will be on display like never before, thanks to NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and a new project from the Smithsonian Institution. A new three-dimensional (3D) viewer, being unveiled this week, will allow users to interact with many one-of-a-kind objects from the Smithsonian as part of a large-scale effort to digitize many of the Institutions objects and artifacts.
Scientists have combined data from Chandra, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and ground-based facilities to construct a unique 3D model of the 300-year old remains of a stellar explosion that blew a massive star apart, sending the stellar debris rushing into space at millions of miles per hour. The collaboration with this new Smithsonian 3D project will allow the astronomical data collected on Cassiopeia A, or Cas A for short, to be featured and highlighted in an open-access program -- a major innovation in digital technologies with public, education, and research-based impacts.

Read more
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/multimedia/exploring-cassiopeiaA.html#.UoZStHDluSo

Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO

#NASA   #Chandra   #space   #Cassiopeia_A   #spitzerspacetelescope   #supernovae   #science   #sciencesunday  

NASA Sees 'Watershed' Cosmic Blast in Unique Detail

NASA Sees 'Watershed' Cosmic Blast in Unique Detail

On April 27, a blast of light from a dying star in a distant galaxy became the focus of astronomers around the world. The explosion, known as a gamma-ray burst and designated GRB 130427A, tops the charts as one of the brightest ever seen.
A trio of NASA satellites, working in concert with ground-based robotic telescopes, captured never-before-seen details that challenge current theoretical understandings of how gamma-ray bursts work.

"We expect to see an event like this only once or twice a century, so we're fortunate it happened when we had the appropriate collection of sensitive space telescopes with complementary capabilities available to see it," said Paul Hertz, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division in Washington.

Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the cosmos, thought to be triggered when the core of a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel, collapses under its own weight, and forms a black hole. The black hole then drives jets of particles that drill all the way through the collapsing star and erupt into space at nearly the speed of light.

Gamma-rays are the most energetic form of light. Hot matter surrounding a new black hole and internal shock waves produced by collisions within the jet are thought to emit gamma-rays with energies in the million-electron-volt (MeV) range, or roughly 500,000 times the energy of visible light. The most energetic emission, with billion-electron-volt (GeV) gamma rays, is thought to arise when the jet slams into its surroundings, forming an external shock wave.

Read more:
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-sees-watershed-cosmic-blast-in-unique-detail/#.Uo59wdLluSp

A spectacular video:
Overview Animation of Gamma-ray Burst

These maps on the image show the sky at energies above 100 MeV as seen by Fermi's LAT instrument. Left: The sky during a 3-hour interval before GRB 130427A. Right: A 3-hour map ending 30 minutes after the burst. GRB 130427A was located in the constellation Leo, near its border with Ursa Major.

Image Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration

#gammaray_burst   #NASA   #stars   #galaxy   #space   #astronomy   #science   #sciencesunday   #astrophysics   #satellites  

Current thermal image of the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Current thermal image of the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Via USGS Hawaii Volcano Observatory:
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cams/panorama.php?cam=HTcam&display=Live

This image is from a  temporary thermal camera.  The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius up to a maximum of 500 Celsius (932 Fahrenheit) for this camera model, and scales based on the maximum and minimum temperatures within the frame.  Thick fume, image pixel size and other factors often result in image temperatures being lower than actual surface temperatures.  

#kilauea   #hawai   #volcano   #halemaumau   #earth   #infrared   #usgs   #science   #sciencesunday  

There's only 21 hours, 1 minute and 53 seconds until perihelion of Comet ISON

Perihelion & Distance: LIVE Information

There's only 21 hours, 1 minute and 53 seconds until perihelion of Comet ISON
Perihelion is due to occur on 28 November 2013, at 18:37:45 UTC

Watch the dynamic text at the source:
http://www.cometison2013.co.uk/perihelion-and-distance/

The image below was produced using a 3D model page which now includes an optional view from Earth.

Here the interactive model:
http://www.cometison2013.co.uk/interactive-model/

#comet_ISON   #space   #solarsystem   #Earth   #science   #sciencesunday  

The Christmas Experiments, Digital Art

The Christmas Experiments, Digital Art

Via +Malin Christersson  whom I thank.

The Christmas Experiments is an impressive project... one day, one creation, from 1st to 25th December, made ​​with love by digital artists.

I've watched all of them and I found particularly interesting Day 22 - Dark Sunrise from +Steven Wittens (http://acko.net/).

Watch Dark Sunrise: http://christmasexperiments.com/2013/22/

The stunning image below has been excerpted by me from day 22 creation.

Go to The Cristmas Experiments: http://christmasexperiments.com/

#digital_art #digital_experiments #Christmas #ScienceSunday

Here is how much money that the Treasury

Here is how much money that the Treasury issued since 10 August 1861 to the close of business 28 February 2014. Since the administration of Lyndon Johnson's elected administration which commenced on 20 January 1965. The last 50 years . The amount of money printed comprises roughly 95 percent of all the notes printed.

Had Kennedy lived and ended up as a one term President. He would have had a $30 to 40 BILLION note issue which would have been the lowest post World War II note issue.