Astronomers explore NGC 6872, declare it largest known spiral galaxy

Astronomers explore NGC 6872, declare it largest known spiral galaxy

NGC 6872 is a barred spiral galaxy 212 million light years away from Earth in the southern constellation Pavo. With its exceptionally large spiral arms, it spans more than 522,000 light-years, making it more than five times the size of our Milky Way galaxy. For

Spacecraft sees solar storm engulf Earth

Spacecraft sees solar storm engulf Earth

For the first time, a spacecraft far from Earth has turned and watched a solar storm engulf our planet. The movie, released today during a NASA press conference, has galvanized solar physicists, who say it could lead to important advances in space weather forecasting.

Milky Way through a Saharan sandstorm

Milky Way through a Saharan sandstorm

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011 by Terje Sorgjerd. He has the pleasure of visiting El Teide.Spain´s highest mountain (@3715m@Canary Island) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and

Dusty spiral galaxy is closer than once thought

Dusty spiral galaxy is closer than once thought

The star-forming regions of a nearby spiral galaxy glow bright pink in a spectacular new image from a telescope atop a Chilean peak. And the galaxy's actually slightly closer than astronomers once thought, researchers say. The glowing pink clouds seen in the…

First cosmic census estimates there are 50 billion planets in Milky Way

First cosmic census estimates there are 50 billion planets in Milky Way

Scientists have estimated the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy and the numbers are astronomical – at least 50 billion planets in the Milky Way. And some 500 million of those planets are in what is known as the Goldilocks zone, where the climate is thought