Spiral Galaxy
The Milky Way galaxy contains billions of stars, nebulae, planets, moons, other bodies, and clouds of gas and dust. Observations show our galaxy to have a distinct central bulge, surrounded by a glowing halo.
Around this central bulge is a collection of star clusters, which surround the galaxy outside the galactic plane.
Galaxy M31- Our Glowing Neighbor
Glowing with the light of hundreds of billions of suns, the Andromeda Galaxy is far, far away. But in the vast expanse of the universe, Andromeda is one of the Milky Way's closest neighbors.
Galaxy M 33-The Big Wheel of Triangulum
Like a giant wheel that looks as if it is spinning in the sky, a huge galaxy spreads its spiral arms among the stars of the constellation Triangulum (the triangle). This spiral galaxy, whose astronomical name is M33, is rather similar to our own Milky Way galaxy.
Crab Nebula- A Monument in Space
In 1054, a violent death occurred in the sky, as a fantastic explosion ended the life of one of the stars in the universe. We see its remains today as the Crab Nebula.
The Crab Nebula is not visible to the naked eye but can be viewed through a telescope. It is close to the constellation Taurus, which is visible in spring, early in the evening.
In 1758, the French astronomer Charles Messier observed the Crab Nebula. He listed it in his famous catalog, which also contains other nebulae and galaxies. Because it was his first entry, he listed it as M1. The "M" stands for Messier.
Horse Galloping in the Universe-Horse head Nebula
Observing the constellation Orion through a telescope, we can see a very conspicuous, strange dark shape against a glowing cloud of gas. This is the Horsehead Nebula. It is a giant cloud of dust that absorbs the light of the surrounding stars, creating a dark, black area in the sky. Scientists believe that dark clouds like these are where new stars are born.
The Horsehead Nebula is part of the Milky Way galaxy. It is very far from Earth, approximately 1,600 light-years away. It is also very large. The neck of the "horse" is about 0.82 light-years wide (almost 5 trillion miles, or 8 trillion kilometers)!
The Horsehead Nebula belongs to the family of dark nebulae. These nebulae are large clouds of gas and interstellar dust particles that absorb the light of surrounding stars. The Horsehead Nebula is very distinct against its red background. The red glow comes from a nearby emission nebula. The light comes from the star Sigma Orionis in the constellation Orion. If the background weren't so bright, the dark Horsehead wouldn't be so easy to distinguish.
Scientists believe that dark nebulae such as the Horsehead are the birthplaces of stars. In the course of time, instabilities within the gas and dust in these nebulae cause them to contract and heat up to the temperatures that can support hydrogen fusion. This is how stars are born.
Near the Horsehead Nebula we can observe another nebula, M42. It is also known as The Great Orion Nebula.
It is one of the most attractive nebulae in the heavens. People with sharp vision can easily see M42 on a dark night even without binoculars. It will appear as a faint fuzzy spot of white light.
