Photo of the Day from NASA -Spitzer's M101 Galaxy

[Ichingcarpenter]

About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous, almost twice the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy. M101 was also one of the original spiral nebulae observed by Lord Rosse's large 19th century telescope, the Leviathan of Parsontown.

Recorded at infrared wavelengths by the Spitzer Space telescope, this 21st century view shows starlight in blue hues while the galaxy's dust clouds are in red. Examining the dust features in the outer rim of the galaxy, astronomers have found that organic molecules present throughout the rest of M101 are lacking.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091230.html

[roguevalley]

1. our galaxy is pretty big but that one sort of makes our own look

piddly. what a beautiful thing. thank you.