Hubble Pic Of The Week - NGC 1097

Hi ATS!

Here's the new Hubble picture of the week, released 24 December 2012.

NGC 1097

Picture has been resized. Please visit the link at the bottom of this post for fullsize pictures.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope provides us this week with a spectacular image of the bright star-forming ring that surrounds the heart of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1097. In this image, the larger-scale structure of the galaxy is barely visible: its comparatively dim spiral arms, which surround its heart in a loose embrace, reach out beyond the edges of this frame.

This face-on galaxy, lying 45 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Fornax (The Furnace), is particularly attractive for astronomers. NGC 1097 is a Seyfert galaxy. Lurking at the very centre of the galaxy, a supermassive black hole 100 million times the mass of our Sun is gradually sucking in the matter around it. The area immediately around the black hole shines powerfully with radiation coming from the material falling in.

Please visit the link for more pictures and info.

reply to post by SilentE


An absolutely amazing image, even more so when considering this...

...lying 45 million light-years away from Earth

Just found myself a new wallpaper

reply to post by SilentE


thank you brother makes me send out prayers it is indeed a humbling image yet inferiating at the same time.

may she be in your thoughts

Guess we found the all seeing eye now.



Beautiful picture.

While looking at these sites, I can't help but remember that everything we see is either vast expanses of gas or stars much like our sun.
Everything else is empty darkness.

Originally posted by Manhater
Guess we found the all seeing eye now.

Beautiful picture.

Hehe. I didn't even notice that until you said it. Damn....I could've started a wild space all seeing eye conspiracy!