1. esiegel
  2. Messier Monday: An Elliptical Rotating Wrongly, M59 (Synopsis)

Messier Monday: An Elliptical Rotating Wrongly, M59 (Synopsis)

By esiegel on April 28, 2014.

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” -Dr. Seuss

With 110 objects in the Messier catalogue, and 40 galaxies (more than any other class of object), you might take a "if you've seen one, you've seen them all" attitude. But if you did, you'd be missing out on some truly amazing facts and phenomena happening right here in our own backyard!

Image credit: courtesy of Sloan Digital Sky Survey/WIKISKY, via http://www2011.mpe.mpg.de/highlights.html. Image credit: courtesy of Sloan Digital Sky Survey/WIKISKY, via http://www2011.mpe.mpg.de/highlights.html.

After all there are six giant elliptical galaxies in the Messier catalogue, but not only is today's object the most elliptical (departing from sphericity), but the core of this galaxy itself is rotating the wrong way!

Image credit: McDonald Observatory, NASA/AURA/STScI, via http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/gallery/core-galaxy-ngc-4621. Image credit: McDonald Observatory, NASA/AURA/STScI, via http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/gallery/core-galaxy-ngc-4621.

What's its deal? Come find out here on today's Messier Monday!

Tags
Astronomy
Galaxies

More like this

Messier Monday: A Great Galactic Controversy, M102
“Men... have had the vanity to pretend that the world creation was made for them, whilst in reality the whole creation does not suspect their existence.” -Camille Flammarion Welcome to the latest -- and most controversial -- Messier Monday, where each week, I'll take a look at one of the 110 deep-…
Messier Monday: The Sombrero Galaxy, M104
"Yes, indeed, if humankind — from humble farmers in the fields and toiling workers in the cities to teachers, people of independent means, those who have reached the pinnacle of fame or fortune, even the most frivolous of society women — if they knew what profound inner pleasure await those who…
Messier Monday: The Gateway Galaxy to Virgo, M60
"The thing's hollow—it goes on forever—and—oh my God—it's full of stars!" -Dave Bowman, 2001: A Space Odyssey Back in October, we began a new, weekly series here called Messier Monday. Each Monday, we've taken a look at one of the 110 deep-sky objects that make up the Messier Catalogue, nebulous…
Messier Monday: The Farthest Messier Spiral, M109
"It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure." -Joseph Campbell It took Charles Messier and his assistant, Pierre Méchain, a lifetime to scan and survey the sky for all the permanent deep-sky objects visible in their…