Post by glactus on Feb 17, 2008 9:17:20 GMT
Circinus, The Compass, is a Southern Hemisphere constellation introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the mid-eighteenth century. Only seven Bayer stars are brighter than sixth magnitude. Though it lies on the main belt of the Milky Way, this is an unremarkable region of the southern sky, most notable for the fact that it lies close to the famous and bright Alpha Centauri.
However, it does possess a beautiful interstellar galaxy, the Circinus galaxy ESO 97-G13
The Circinus Galaxy (ESO 97-G13) is a Seyfert Galaxy in the Circinus constellation. It is only 4 degrees below the Galactic plane, and 13 million light-years away. The galaxy is undergoing tumultuous changes, as rings of gas are being ejected from the galaxy. The outermost ring is 700 light-years from the center of the galaxy and the inner ring is 130 light-years out.
The Circinus galaxy can be seen using a small telescope, however it was not noticed until 25 years ago because it was obscured by material from our own galaxy. The Circinus Galaxy is a Type II Seyfert galaxy and closest known active galaxy to the Milky Way
.A previously unseen inner ring, inside the green disk above, is visible only 130 light years from the center on this recently released, representative color image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. At the very center is an active galactic nucleus, where matter glows brightly before likely spiraling into a massive black hole.
Although only 15 million light years distant, the Circinus Galaxy went unnoticed until 25 years ago because it is so obscured by material in the plane of our own Galaxy. The galaxy can be seen with a small telescope however.
credits:
image: circinus galaxy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circinus_Galaxy
text:
home.xtra.co.nz/hosts/Wingmakers/Circinus.html