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Hubble Photographs Image Picked in Vote

Space.com
posted: 3 HOURS 19 MINUTES AGO
comments: 11
filed under: Science News
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Space.com
(April 6) - The Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a group of colliding galaxies that won a cosmic popularity contest voted on by the public.
The snapshot features Arp 274 (also known as NGC 5679), a galaxy smashup going on as three distant galaxies merge into one, drawn in by their mutual gravitational attraction. On April 1 and 2, Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 snapped the photogenic site, located about 400 million light-years away.
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Arp 274 won the Space Telescope Science Institute's "You Decide" competition, which opened up a poll to determine the target of the next space portrait in honor of the "100 Hours of Astronomy" project, part of the ongoing International Year of Astronomy. The striking object received 67,021 votes out of the nearly 140,000 votes cast in the contest. Voting ended on March 1.
The two biggest galaxies are spirals that appear mostly intact. The tiny third galaxy shows more signs of disruption.
Two of the three galaxies appear to be forming new stars at a high rate, as evidenced by the bright blue knots of star formation that are strung along the arms of the galaxy on the right and along the small galaxy on the left.
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The picture was made with blue, visible, and infrared light filters, combined with a filter that isolates hydrogen emission. The colors in the image reflect the intrinsic color of the different stellar populations that make up the galaxies.
Yellowish older stars can be seen in the central bulge of each galaxy. A bright central cluster of stars pinpoint each nucleus. Younger blue stars trace the spiral arms, along with pinkish nebulae that are illuminated by new star formation. Interstellar dust is silhouetted against the starry population. A pair of foreground stars inside our own Milky Way are at the far right.
NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope in April 1990. Since then, the observatory has spent nearly 19 years scanning the depths of the universe and returning stunning views to scientists and the public on Earth.
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Four NASA space shuttle crews have visited the space telescope to make repairs and upgrades during its orbital life. The fifth and last overhaul for Hubble is currently slated to launch on May 12. That mission includes five spacewalks aimed at extending Hubble's lifetime through at least 2013.
© Imaginova Corp. All rights reserved.
2009-04-06 09:48:47
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Sunshine4u1203

04:21 PMApr 06 2009

I LOVE THE "EYE OF GOD" that is just wild!

AVG RATING:
(1)

JffrySmit

03:32 PMApr 06 2009

Bech5514 ---- If its too good to be true, it is not true. This is a fake to raise interest (and $$$$) to keep a pet project going when times are tough. ------ And you're the genius behind thinking if you post this information on this stupid blog everyone will listen and stop this "pet project." Go back to reading your conspiracy theory comic books and leave the real thinking to adults.

AVG RATING:
(4)

FoFoBerg

03:22 PMApr 06 2009

The physical forces that began with the big bang can be measured and scientifically studied. Good and evil are hardly scientific concepts and can't even be pinned down across cultures. Since such concepts can only be speculated about and debated based on philosophy and religion, they have no place in a scientific discussion.

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Bech5514

03:19 PMApr 06 2009

If its too good to be true, it is not true. This is a fake to raise interest (and $$$$) to keep a pet project going when times are tough.

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(5)
Newjeff121 Click to read Low-rated and possibly explicit material.

Ruths gardens

03:09 PMApr 06 2009

If these galaxies are 400 million light years away, and that they already collided,how long ago was that beings they are so far apart in this picture?

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(2)

Ruths gardens

02:58 PMApr 06 2009

I wish they would send up more Hubbles. In fact I wish they would make a bigger and better one.Not sure how much it cost.Seems my money is being spent on everything else that I don't want.But this is something I want.

AVG RATING:
(2)

HrCat864

02:44 PMApr 06 2009

Religious people believe in a Creator while atheists do not. The Hubble telescope has proven the big bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago, at which point time, space, gravity, and light were created. While I don't believe in formal religion, is it not possible that the forces of good and evil were created at the same time?

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(2)

Jjgkemosabe

02:04 PMApr 06 2009

THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE LOOKS BACK IN TIME. WHAT WE ARE SEEING HAPPENED MILLIONS OF OUR YEARS AGO. I OFTEN THINK ARE WE LOOKING BACK AT OUR SELF'S. SOME SAY WE ARE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE, THAT'S LIKE SAYING AS THEY DID 500 YEARS AGO THAT YOU'LL FALL THE END OF THE EARTH IF YOU SAIL TO FAR. LIFE IS EVER WHERE WE ARE JUST TO PRIMITIVE TO FIND IT --YET !!!

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CPANDO5185

02:03 PMApr 06 2009

Wow cool pictures....

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