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this girl created this tiny universe. and this girl helps run it.
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NGC 1566

NGC 1566

NGC 6240
NGC 6240 is a galaxy that contains two supermassive black holes in the process of merging
Scientists think the merger began about 30 million years ago and will conclude some tens or hundreds of millions of years in the future

NGC 6240

  • NGC 6240 is a galaxy that contains two supermassive black holes in the process of merging

  • Scientists think the merger began about 30 million years ago and will conclude some tens or hundreds of millions of years in the future
Stephan’s Quintet

Stephan’s Quintet

M83

M83

NGC 4194

NGC 4194

Galaxy Zoo Catalogs the Universe
You, too, can Zoo. The Galaxy Zoo project has been enabling citizen scientists — inquisitive people like yourself armed with only a web browser— to sort through the universe. Specifically, after a brief training session, volunteers are asked to use the superior image-processing power of their minds to classify and measure properties of galaxies in the vast Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In its two short years of existence, millions of galaxies have already been inspected by thousands of enthusiastic volunteers. Using Galaxy Zoo data, for example, the universe has been discovered to create no preferred spin direction, an unusual and unclassified object was found that is still being investigated, and a whole class of small galaxies dubbed Green Peas were uncovered where star formation occurs at an extraordinary high rate. Further, the Galaxy Zoo may be setting a precedent for a new type of scientific inquiry where the web helps collect, focus and coordinate human and machine intelligence. Pictured above, a group of vibrant mergers found by Zooites demonstrates the diverse zoo-like nature of many interacting galaxies in the universe.

Galaxy Zoo Catalogs the Universe

You, too, can Zoo. The Galaxy Zoo project has been enabling citizen scientists — inquisitive people like yourself armed with only a web browser— to sort through the universe. Specifically, after a brief training session, volunteers are asked to use the superior image-processing power of their minds to classify and measure properties of galaxies in the vast Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In its two short years of existence, millions of galaxies have already been inspected by thousands of enthusiastic volunteers. Using Galaxy Zoo data, for example, the universe has been discovered to create no preferred spin direction, an unusual and unclassified object was found that is still being investigated, and a whole class of small galaxies dubbed Green Peas were uncovered where star formation occurs at an extraordinary high rate. Further, the Galaxy Zoo may be setting a precedent for a new type of scientific inquiry where the web helps collect, focus and coordinate human and machine intelligence. Pictured above, a group of vibrant mergers found by Zooites demonstrates the diverse zoo-like nature of many interacting galaxies in the universe.

JKCS041: The Farthest Galaxy Cluster Yet Measured

JKCS041: The Farthest Galaxy Cluster Yet Measured

The “lifestyles” of 75 neighboring galaxies are illuminated in this poster from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.In this composite, blue colors reveal light from an older population of stars. Tints of green represent organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while red lumps show clouds of warm dust and gas heated by radiation from newborn stars. The galaxies are organized by shape, according to the Hubble-Tuning Fork. In this structure, elliptical galaxies sit on the left side of the poster, creating the tuning fork’s handle. They are designated by the letter “E”, and given a number from zero to seven. An “E0” galaxy looks round, while an E7 galaxy is very long and thin.Spiral galaxies are located to the right side of the poster creating the fork’s two prongs. The top prong is made up of regular spiral galaxies, and identified by the letter “S.” Barred spiral galaxies make up the bottom prong, and are branded “SB.” Meanwhile, letters – “a”, “b”, and “c” – indicate how tightly the spiral arms are wound. An “Sa” galaxy’s arms are wound very tightly, while an “Sc” galaxy’s spiral arms are very loosely wound.Irregular galaxies are organized on bottom-left side of the poster because they were not represented in Hubble’s original Tuning Fork.

The “lifestyles” of 75 neighboring galaxies are illuminated in this poster from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.

In this composite, blue colors reveal light from an older population of stars. Tints of green represent organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while red lumps show clouds of warm dust and gas heated by radiation from newborn stars. 

The galaxies are organized by shape, according to the Hubble-Tuning Fork. 

In this structure, elliptical galaxies sit on the left side of the poster, creating the tuning fork’s handle. They are designated by the letter “E”, and given a number from zero to seven. An “E0” galaxy looks round, while an E7 galaxy is very long and thin.

Spiral galaxies are located to the right side of the poster creating the fork’s two prongs. The top prong is made up of regular spiral galaxies, and identified by the letter “S.” Barred spiral galaxies make up the bottom prong, and are branded “SB.” Meanwhile, letters – “a”, “b”, and “c” – indicate how tightly the spiral arms are wound. An “Sa” galaxy’s arms are wound very tightly, while an “Sc” galaxy’s spiral arms are very loosely wound.

Irregular galaxies are organized on bottom-left side of the poster because they were not represented in Hubble’s original Tuning Fork.

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M104
NGC 2623: Galaxy Merger from Hubble

NGC 2623: Galaxy Merger from Hubble