NGC 4565: Needle Galaxy Credit and Copyright: William McLaughlin (ARGO Cooperative Observatory) Explanation: Presenting a sleek needle-like profile the magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Its core of stars bulges from the centre of a thin disk of spiral arms and dust. The core appears to be cut sharply by dust lanes to dramatic effect in this composite image. NGC 4565's obscuring dust lanes and pronounced core are typical of large majestic spiral galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Upper Waterfall, Elves Chasm - Elves Chasm is a very common stopping point for raft trips since the lower falls is an easy, short walk up from the river. A couple of us however decided to scramble up the right side and explore further up. There were a couple more falls and ended with a large open amphitheather. This image is one of the upper waterfalls and shows the sedimentary layers on the right and travertine deposits on the left. Roy V. Harrington, - PhotoTripUSA
Small Waterfall, Monument Creek -Monument Creek flows into the Colorado at Granite Rapid. Roy V. Harrington, - PhotoTripUSA.
Deer Creek Swirls Deer Creek is one of the most popular side canyon of the Colorado in this area. The creek has carved out a narrow slot about half way through a tall vertical cliff. There is a tall waterfall visible from the main river but in order to see the narrows one must climb all the way to the top and then hike back along the slot. Roy V. Harrington, - PhotoTripUSA
Vasey's Paradise, This is one of the few images that is taken from right near the Colorado River. In fact it was taken from a small island of rocks in the middle of the river. This spring comes out of the middle of a tall wall of Redwall Limestone and cascades down the layers of rock. In earlier years this was a good source for clear fresh water, but now filtering is recommended. Exploring the Grand Canyon by Roy V. Harrington - PhotoTripUSA
N159: The Papillon Nebula Credit: M. Heydari-Malayeri (Paris Observatory) et al., WFPC2, HST, ESA, NASA Explanation: In a search for massive stars, the Hubble Space Telescope has peered into The Papillon (French for butterfly) Nebula, also known as N159, which spans over 150 light-years across and is located in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, about 170,000 light years distant. Visible in the above picture are bright newborn stars, dark filaments of dust, hot red-glowing hydrogen gas, and an unusual central compact cloud, highlighted in the inset. Reasons for the bipolar shape of the central cloud are currently unknown, but might indicate the presence of unseen high-mass stars and a thick gaseous disk. LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
AB Aurigae: How To Make Planets Credit: C.A. Grady (NOAO, NASA/GSFC), et al., NASA
Explanation: This enhanced Hubble Space Telescope image shows in remarkable detail the inner portion of the disk of dust and gas surrounding the star AB Aurigae. Knots of material, visible here for the first time, may well represent an early stage of a process which could result in the formation of planets over the next few million years. AB Aurigae is a young star (2-4 million years old), about 469 light-years distant. Its swirling circumstellar disk is large, about 30 times the size of our solar system. Astronomers believe planet-making is just beginning in AB Aurigae's disk because known disks surrounding younger stars (less than 1 million years old) do not show such clumpy structure, while disks of slightly older stars (aged 8-10 million years) have gaps and features suggesting that planets have already been formed. LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
NGC 4414: A Telling Spiral Credit: W. Freedman (Carnigie Obs.) , L. Frattare (STScI) et al., & the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA) Explanation: Spiral galaxy NGC 4414 contains many Cepheid variable stars that oscillate in a way that allows astronomers to estimate their distance. It shows many classic spiral galaxy features, including thick dust lanes, a central region rich in old red stars, and winding spiral arms glowing with young blue stars. LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.