Hubble Views a Galaxy on Edge

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows an edge-on view of the spiral galaxy NGC 5023. Due to its orientation we cannot appreciate its spiral arms, but we can admire the elegant profile of its disk. The galaxy lies over 30 million light-years away from us.

NGC 5023 is part of the M51 group of galaxies. The brightest galaxy in this group is Messier 51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, which has been captured by Hubble many times. NGC 5023 is less fond of the limelight and seems rather unsociable in comparison — it is relatively isolated from the other galaxies in the group.

Astronomers are particularly interested in the vertical structure of disks like these. By analyzing the structure above and below the central plane of the galaxy they can make progress in understanding galaxy evolution. Astronomers are able to analyze the distribution of different types of stars within the galaxy and their properties, in particular how well evolved they are on the Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram — a scatter graph of stars that shows their evolution.

NGC 5023 is one of six edge-on spiral galaxies observed as part of a study using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. They study this vertical distribution and find a trend which suggests that heating of the disc plays an important role in producing the stars seen away from the plane of the galaxy.

In fact, NGC 5023 is pretty popular when it comes to astronomers, despite its unsociable behavior. The galaxy is also one of 14 disk galaxies that are part of the GHOSTS survey — a survey which uses Hubble data to study galaxy halos, outer disks and star clusters. It is the largest study to date of star populations in the outskirts of disk galaxies.

The incredible sharp sight of Hubble has allowed scientist to count more than 30,000 individual bright stars in this image. This is only a small fraction of the several billion stars that this galaxy contains, but the others are too faint to detect individually even with Hubble.

European Space Agency

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Boarding the Soyuz Spacecraft on Launch Day

Expedition 43 Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), top, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, center, and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka of Roscosmos wave farewell as they board the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft ahead of their launch to the International Space Station, Friday, March 27, 2015 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Kelly and Kornienko will spend a year in space and return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016. Most expeditions to the space station last four to six months. By doubling the length of this mission, researchers hope to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to long-duration spaceflight. This knowledge is critical as NASA looks toward human journeys deeper into the solar system, including to and from Mars, which could last 500 days or longer.

The Soyuz is set to lift off at 3:42 p.m. EDT, Friday, March 27 on a six-hour, four-orbit flight to the station.

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Expedition 43 Soyuz Rolls Out for Launch

The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 25, 2015. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, and Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time (March 27 Eastern time.) As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.

More information on one year crew.

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Mars ‘Marathon Valley’ Overlook

This view from NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows part of “Marathon Valley,” a destination on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, as seen from an overlook north of the valley.

The scene spans from east, at left, to southeast. It combines four pointings of the rover’s panoramic camera (Pancam) on March 13, 2015, during the 3,958th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity’s work on Mars.

The rover team selected Marathon Valley as a science destination because observations of this location using the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter yielded evidence of clay minerals, a clue to ancient wet environments. By the time Opportunity explores Marathon Valley, the rover will have exceeded a total driving distance equivalent to an Olympic marathon. Opportunity has been exploring the Meridiani Planum region of Mars since January 2004.

This version of the image is presented in approximate true color by combining exposures taken through three of the Pancam’s color filters at each of the four camera pointings, using filters centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet).

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From Different Worlds, Sharing a Spiritual Journey, and Now Family Loss by VIVIAN YEE and DAVID W. CHEN

By VIVIAN YEE and DAVID W. CHEN

The son of a grandee in a Syrian Jewish outpost in Kobe, Japan, and the daughter of a family with a comfortable life in southern Brooklyn arrived at similar points in their spiritual journeys. They lost seven of their children in a blaze.

Published: March 22, 2015 at 08:00PM

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2016 Athletes’ Village Set to Become Luxury Housing by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Developers brag that the athletes’ village for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics will rival a five-star resort.

Published: March 20, 2015 at 10:10PM

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Solar Eclipse From the International Space Station

Expedition 43 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti took a series of photographs of the March 20, 2015 solar eclipse from the International Space Station. Cristoforetti wrote, “Orbital sunrise and the #SolarEclipse… could it go any better?”

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, casting a shadow over Earth. The moon’s shadow masks the solar surface and blocks sunlight from reaching Earth directly – but the amount of sunlight blocked depends on location.

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Vanguard Satellite, 1958

One of the Vanguard satellites is checked out at Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1958. Vanguard 1, the world’s first solar-powered satellite, launched on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) 1958. It was designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. Vanguard 1 was the second U.S. satellite in orbit, following Explorer 1, and remains the oldest artificial object orbiting Earth to this day. Vanguard began as a program at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington and transferred over to NASA (along with many of its personnel) after the agency was founded by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.

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Christie’s Camden Tax Breaks Reward Political Insiders by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

During Chris Christie’s first term as governor, he made tax incentives a cornerstone of a promised “New Jersey Comeback” that would lure new businesses to the state. With New Jersey’s job growth still poor at the beginning of his second term last…

Published: March 16, 2015 at 11:28PM

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NJ Gov. Christie’s Tax Breaks Reward Political Insiders by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Under Republican Gov. Chris Christie, New Jersey has authorized more than $2 billion in economic development tax breaks since 2014, often to corporations with notable political connections. One grant went to a developer who owes millions of dollars…

Published: March 16, 2015 at 11:17PM

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Heather Bryant, Bradley Bailey by Unknown Author

By Unknown Author

The couple were married at the Church in the Forest in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Published: March 14, 2015 at 08:00PM

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Letters to the Editor by Compiled by THE NEW YORK TIMES

By Compiled by THE NEW YORK TIMES

Readers sound off on the latest headlines in Sports.

Published: March 14, 2015 at 08:00PM

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Launch of Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft Aboard Atlas V Rocket

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft onboard launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, March 12, 2015, Florida. NASA’s MMS mission studies the mystery of how magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect, explosively releasing energy via a process known as magnetic reconnection. MMS consists of four identical spacecraft that work together to provide the first three-dimensional view of this fundamental process, which occurs throughout the universe.

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NASA’s MMS Spacecraft Launches on an Atlas V Rocket

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft onboard launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, March 12, 2015, Florida. NASA’s MMS mission studies the mystery of how magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect, explosively releasing energy via a process known as magnetic reconnection. MMS consists of four identical spacecraft that work together to provide the first three-dimensional view of this fundamental process, which occurs throughout the universe.

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Connemara – Ireland by Gareth Wray Photography -Thanks = 4.5 Million Hits

Lough Corrib, Cloonbur, Connemara, Joyce Country, County Galway, Ireland

I’ve travelled throughout Ireland from point to point and of all places and sites i’ve visited over the years Connemara has to be one of the most beautiful unspoilt regions that depicts "Real Ireland"

There is such a variety of landscapes around each bend, from mountains to lakes and grasslands Connemara has it all. A true landscape photographers’ playground

Hope you enjoy! Please Favourite & Follow to view my newest upcoming works, Thank you

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Connemara – Ireland by Gareth Wray Photography -Thanks = 4.5 Million Hits

Lough Corrib, Cloonbur, Connemara, Joyce Country, County Galway, Ireland

I’ve travelled throughout Ireland from point to point and of all places and sites i’ve visited over the years Connemara has to be one of the most beautiful unspoilt regions that depicts "Real Ireland"

There is such a variety of landscapes around each bend, from mountains to lakes and grasslands Connemara has it all. A true landscape photographers’ playground

Hope you enjoy! Please Favourite & Follow to view my newest upcoming works, Thank you

via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/nww264

from WordPress http://ift.tt/1CaI2iF

Connemara – Ireland by Gareth Wray Photography -Thanks = 4.5 Million Hits

Lough Corrib, Cloonbur, Connemara, Joyce Country, County Galway, Ireland

I’ve travelled throughout Ireland from point to point and of all places and sites i’ve visited over the years Connemara has to be one of the most beautiful unspoilt regions that depicts "Real Ireland"

There is such a variety of landscapes around each bend, from mountains to lakes and grasslands Connemara has it all. A true landscape photographers’ playground

Hope you enjoy! Please Favourite & Follow to view my newest upcoming works, Thank you

via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/nww264

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