Basic Information What is this? The central regions of our Galaxy, containing a ring of gas and dust Where is it in the sky? In the constellation of Sagittarius How big is it? The ring, seen in yellow, is around 600 light years across How far away is it? The centre of our Galaxy is …
Category archives: Results
Uranus
Basic Information What is this? The planet Uranus Where is it in the sky? Uranus moves around the sky as both it and the Earth orbit the Sun, but is currently found between the constellation of Pisces How big is it? Uranus is about 4 times the size of the Earth, with a diameter of …
Interstellar Cloud IC5146
Basic Information What is this? Interstellar Cloud IC5146, containing the Cocoon Nebula Where is it in the sky? In the constellation of Cygnus the Swan How big is it? The region is around 15 light years across How far away is it? Around 1500 light years away What do the colours represent? Red shows colder …
Polaris Flare
Basic Information What is this? The Polaris Flare, a network of dusty filaments Where is it in the sky? In the constellation of Ursa Minor the Little Bear How big is it? The region is tens of light years across How far away is it? Around 500 light years away What do the colours represent? …
Dark Matter Halos
Basic Information What is this? A simulation of the distribution of dark matter in the early Universe Where is it in the sky? The simulation is compared to an area of the sky in the constellation of Ursa Major How big is it? The simulation is of a volume of the Universe several hundred million …
Andromeda Galaxy
Basic Information What is this? The Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) Where is it in the sky? In the constellation of Andromeda the Princess How big is it? The galaxy is a similar size to our own, around 100,000 light years across and containing around 100 billion stars How far away is it? At 2.5 million …
TW Hydrae
Basic Information What is this? An artist’s impression of the disc of material around the star TW Hydrae Where is it in the sky? In the constellation of Hydra the water snake How big is it? The star itself is smaller than the Sun, being around two thirds the mass, but the disc of material …
Herschel-ATLAS Gravitational Lenses
Basic Information What is this? Thousands of distant galaxies, including some which have been gravitationally lensed Where is it in the sky? In the constellation of Hydra the Water Snake How big is it? The image is around 4 degrees across How far away is it? Some of the galaxies are seen when the Universe …
Comet Hartley 2
Basic Information What is this? Comet Hartley 2 Where is it in the sky? Orbiting the Sun about once every 6.5 years How big is it? The nucleus of the comet is just 2 km in diameter but its atmosphere, or coma, is much larger How far away is it? The comet passed just 16.4 …
CW Leonis
Basic Information What is this? The red giant carbon star CW Leonis Where is it in the sky? In the constellation of Leo the Lion How big is it? The star is about 500 times the diameter of our Sun, and is ejecting is outer layers How far away is it? About 500 light years …