Spiral

Stunning Comet Spiral Offers Glimpse of Icy Snowball at Its CoreComet 12P/Pons-Brooks is hiding a strange spiral in its icy heart—and it may tell scientists about the comet’s innardsBy Meghan BartelsAn image of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and its rotating core taken by Jan Erik Vallestad. Credit: Jan Erik VallestadComet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a shapeshifter: in the summer of 2023 it sported wings like the Millennium Falcon, the iconic Star Wars ship. By autumn it had been dubbed the “Devil comet” for its horned appearance.Now, for…

By ESA/Hubble March 11, 2024This image from the Hubble Space Telescope features LEDA 42160, a dwarf galaxy located 52 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation, part of the dense Virgo cluster of galaxies. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. SunLEDA 42160, in the Virgo cluster, experiences significant star formation changes due to ram pressure. Classified as a Magellanic spiral galaxy, it showcases the nuanced categorization of galaxies beyond basic types.This Hubble Space Telescope image shows LEDA 42160, a…

Most surely know that Zendaya is one of the true fashionistas that’s been making waves across Hollywood for some time now. That’s especially been true as she’s been alongside her fellow Dune: Part Two cast members promoting their newly released film. While a number of her fits have been stunning, she really turned heads when she showed up to the sci-fi flick’s U.K. premiere in a C-3PO-esque outfit. As a fan of the actress (and Star Wars), I was incredibly taken with that particular ensemble. However, it would seem that I…

This Hubble Space Telescope image features NGC 4423, a galaxy in the constellation of Virgo. It appears irregular at first glance but is actually a spiral galaxy. Its true shape, characterized by a dense central bulge and spiral arms, is obscured due to our fixed viewing angle from Earth.  Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. SunNGC 4423, located in Virgo, misleadingly appears as an irregular galaxy but is truly a spiral galaxy. Our fixed perspective from Earth limits our view, and despite the movement of celestial objects,…

Image: LionsgateIf you’ve ever wanted to become fully immersed in the world of John Wick, Lionsgate has got you covered. Later this year, the action franchise is getting an “immersive and interactive” tourist attraction in Las Vegas.Grace Byers on Horror and Comedy in The BlackeningPer the press release, the John Wick Experience was made in collaboration with series director Chad Stahelski and his production company 87Eleven. The i12,000 square ft. exhibit on the city’s AREA15 campus have visitors “navigate a high stakes…

What's a better Valentine's present for the one you love than a glance into the universe's cosmic wonders? In a celestial gesture, NASA shared a charming snapshot of a cosmic "bloom" on their Instagram web page. The picture showcases NGC 3256, a celestial spiral galaxy positioned around one hundred twenty million light-years away. This stunning cosmic spectacle is the final result of a celestial come across, in which big spiral galaxies collided and merged around 500 million years ago, creating a tremendous display of…

This collection of 19 face-on spiral galaxies from the James Webb Space Telescope in near- and mid-infrared light is at once overwhelming and awe-inspiring. “Webb’s new images are extraordinary,” said Janice Lee, a project scientist for strategic initiatives at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. “They’re mind-blowing even for researchers who have studied these same galaxies for decades. Bubbles and filaments are resolved down to the smallest scales ever observed, and tell a story about the star…

Hubble Space Telescope image of the large “grand design” spiral galaxy M81. A spiral-shaped system of stars, dust, and gas clouds, the galaxy’s arms wind all the way down into the nucleus. Though the galaxy is located 11.6 million light-years away, the Hubble Space Telescope’s view is so sharp that it can resolve individual stars, along with open star clusters, globular star clusters, and even glowing regions of fluorescent gas. Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). Acknowledgment: A. Zezas and J.…

A batch of newly released images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope show in remarkable detail 19 spiral galaxies residing relatively near our Milky Way, offering new clues on star formation as well as galactic structure and evolution.The images were made public on Monday by a team of scientists involved in a project called Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) that operates across several major astronomical observatories.The closest of the 19 galaxies is called NGC 5068, about 15 million…

The James Webb space telescope has amassed what the ESA is calling a “treasure trove” of new images of spiral galaxies. While the images themselves are beautiful, Webb’s observations of these 19 galaxies have revealed unknown structures within them, leaving scientists scrambling to learn more.The images were taken using the near- and mid-infrared systems on the James Webb, and they have provided us with a ton of detail to look at. Not only do they showcase the dust, gas, and stars within the galaxy, but they…