Sideways Galaxy NGC 3628

This week I chose to do the picture of the galaxy NGC 3628. This picture clearly shows dust lanes running through the galaxy, evidence that points towards it actually being a spiral galaxy that we are looking at from the side. Located in Leo about 35 million light years away, it is the only galaxy in the Leo Triplet that was not part of Messier's catalog. The tidal tail, as well as the slightly distorted shape of the galaxy, is likely a result of this galaxy interacting with the other two galaxies in the triplet, M65 and M66.

The Dark Tower in Scorpius 4.6

This week, I chose to do the picture of the column of dust and gas in the constellation Scorpius. This 40 light year structure could possibly contain zones of star formation. This cometary globule is shaped by the UV radiation from the very hot stars in NGC6231. Within the dust, hot stars can be seen as small bluish reflection nebulae. All of these structures are approximately 5000 light years away.

The Giants of Omega Centauri 4.5

This week I chose to do the picture of Omega Centauri, the largest of the 200 globular clusters in the Milky Way. It contains about 10 million stars, and is located about 15,000 light years away and is about 150 light years in diameter. The giant stars in the cluster are colored yellow as a result of the combination of numerous colors. Some of the red spots, most of which are red giant stars, are actually more distant background galaxies.