APOD: 2007 March 15 - NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans (original) (raw)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2007 March 15

Explanation: Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of theflying fish, (Piscis)Volans. Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy's twospiral arms extending from a pronounced central bar give it anominoushook-shaped appearance. This striking color image also shows obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters andreddish star forming regions surrounding a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars. But the star forming regions seem more concentrated along the drawn-out northern (top) spiral arm. The distorted structure is likely the result of aclose encounterwith a smaller galaxy located just outside this telescopic field of view. The picture spansabout 1/6 of a degree, or 150,000 light years at the estimated distanceof NGC 2442.