FRANCE: An amazing view of the well-known galaxy Messier 63 has been produced by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The galaxy is also called the Sunflower Galaxy. Last Friday, NASA released the new image that is showing the complex composition of the spiral galaxy.
Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 took the image. NASA wrote in its official website, “The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen in the image from the Hubble, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower. So the nickname for this cosmic object – the Sunflower Galaxy – is no coincidence”.
In 1779, French astronomer Pierre Mechain discovered the galaxy and it became the 63rd entry into famous catalogue of fellow astronomer Charles Messier that was published in 1781.
The Sunflower Galaxy’s glow was observed by the two astronomers in northern constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs). Messier 63 comprises a central disc that has a number of short spiral arm segments close to it.
The remote galaxy is at a distance of approximately 27 million light-years and is from the M51 Group, which is a group of galaxies. It has been dubbed after its brightest member, Messier 51, which is another spiral-shaped galaxy named the Whirlpool Galaxy.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been designed and created by NASA and ESA researchers. It came up with some of the most striking findings of astronomy.
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