오늘의 NASA 우주 사진 (2023-01-20)

안녕하세요, 히제입니다.
오늘 NASA에서 비춰주는 우주의 모습은 어떠할까요?
사진 먼저 감상하시죠!

 

이 사진의 제목은 Galaxy Wars: M81 and M82 입니다. NASA에서 제공한 공식 설명은 아래와 같습니다.

 

The two dominant galaxies near center are far far away, 12 million light-years distant toward the northern constellation of the Great Bear. On the right, with grand spiral arms and bright yellow core is spiral galaxy M81. Also known as Bode's galaxy, M81 spans some 100,000 light-years. On the left is cigar-shaped irregular galaxy M82. The pair have been locked in gravitational combat for a billion years. Gravity from each galaxy has profoundly affected the other during a series of cosmic close encounters. Their last go-round lasted about 100 million years and likely raised density waves rippling around M81, resulting in the richness of M81's spiral arms. M82 was left with violent star forming regions and colliding gas clouds so energetic that the galaxy glows in X-rays. In the next few billion years, their continuing gravitational encounters will result in a merger, and a single galaxy will remain. This extragalactic scenario also includes other members of the interacting M81 galaxy group with NGC 3077 below and right of the large spiral, and NGC 2976 at upper right in the frame. Captured under dark night skies in the Austrian Alps, the foreground of the wide-field image is filled with integrated flux nebulae. Those faint, dusty interstellar clouds reflect starlight above the plane of our own Milky Way galaxy.

 

우주 사진을 볼 때마다, 끝을 알 수 없는 저 광활한 우주 속에서 우리 사람이란 존재가 얼마나 작은 부분인가 실감하게 됩니다.
그럼 저는 내일 또 새로운 우주 사진과 함께 돌아오겠습니다:-) 좋은 하루 되세요!