What is this galaxy? I can't work it out

In summary, the conversation discusses the identification of a spiral galaxy seen in the Starry Night Pro software. It is named PGC 38077.1 and has an apparent magnitude of -2.01, located 38077.1 million light years from the Sun in the constellation of Ursa Major. However, after further discussion and research, it is determined that the image is most likely of NGC 1232, located in Eridanus and not Ursa Major. It is also suggested that the image may have been a joke from the software developers. The conversation also mentions the use of galactic coordinate systems and the album cover that features a similar image.
  • #1
Shutupwesley
3
0
I was using Starry Night Pro software tonight, and I was just cutting about the universe having a wee look at the galaxies when I came across this lovely spiral galaxy (hopefully attached). It is named in the software "PGC 38077.1", it has an apparent apparent magnitude of -2.01 (yes, that was a pun), it is 38077.1 million light years from the Sun, and in the constellation of Ursa Major. Using any combination of these facts in Google has procured nothing, so I would appreciate it if anyone can identify this galaxy as I would love to know more about it. Thanks.
 

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  • #2
There is no galaxy in the sky with apparent magnitude -2. If it did it wouldn't be 38 Gly away and the PGC catalog entires are not formated like PGC 38077.1. The image does however look like the M101 galaxy which is in Ursa Major. Maybe it was Starry Nights idea of an Aprils fool's joke?
 
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  • #3
  • #4
Looks like it could be NGC 3938 which is in Ursa Major.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3938

Edit: I don't think it's M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, as the spiral arm coming off the bottom of your image doesn't seem to match up with the one that comes off of M101 in a similar way. I also can't find any of the major stars that are in front of M101. Although it's possible that the data processing used in that image may have removed or buried them, but I don't think so.
 
  • #5
Could it be Starry Night's idea of what the Milky Way looks like from outside?
 
  • #6
phyzguy said:
Could it be Starry Night's idea of what the Milky Way looks like from outside?

Why would the program say it's a galaxy at 38+ million light years if it were the Milky Way?
 
  • #7
Well, I've used Starry Night, and if I'm not mistaken it let's you "fly around" in space and then shows you what the sky looks like from that location. So I think it is possible that you could fly out 38 million light years in space, then look back toward the Earth. I'm not saying that this is what happened, I'm just throwing it out as a possibility.
 
  • #8
phyzguy said:
Well, I've used Starry Night, and if I'm not mistaken it let's you "fly around" in space and then shows you what the sky looks like from that location. So I think it is possible that you could fly out 38 million light years in space, then look back toward the Earth. I'm not saying that this is what happened, I'm just throwing it out as a possibility.

Ah ok, that makes more sense.
 
  • #9
Is width of the universe 38 billion light years? I thought the age of the universe was only about 13-15 billion years.
 
  • #10
My vote is for NGC 1232. A picture of this galaxy appears in several articles as a generic picture of what a galaxy looks like.

Here is the wiki for NGC 1232 w/picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_1232
 
  • #11
SteamKing said:
Is width of the universe 38 billion light years? I thought the age of the universe was only about 13-15 billion years.

The diameter of the observable universe is about 93 billion light-years. Expansion has caused objects to recede from us over time, so when we look at light that has been traveling for 13 billion years, the emitting source is about 45 billion light-years from us currently.
 
  • #12
SteamKing said:
My vote is for NGC 1232. A picture of this galaxy appears in several articles as a generic picture of what a galaxy looks like.

Here is the wiki for NGC 1232 w/picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_1232

You are dead on sir! I believe I can match the bright stars and the background galaxies up perfectly between the two pictures. Funny, that galaxy is in Eridanus, not Ursa Major. I guess they used the wrong image lol.
 
  • #13
SteamKing said:
My vote is for NGC 1232. A picture of this galaxy appears in several articles as a generic picture of what a galaxy looks like.

Here is the wiki for NGC 1232 w/picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_1232
That seems to be the galaxy in the OP image. But it's not in Ursa Major, but in Eridanus.

I copied the image and rotated it to match the op.

It is also available at APOD - http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120107.html
 

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  • #14
glappkaeft said:
There is no galaxy in the sky with apparent magnitude -2. If it did it wouldn't be 38 Gly away and the PGC catalog entires are not formated like PGC 38077.1. The image does however look like the M101 galaxy which is in Ursa Major. Maybe it was Starry Nights idea of an Aprils fool's joke?

I don't have Excel on my new laptop, but it looks like 38077.1 converts to April 1st, 2004, so you may be correct about it being a joke.

Also, That image was used on an album cover:

pf.unknown%20galaxy%20as%20album%20cover.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DLYWQ4/?tag=pfamazon01-20
Kris Di Natale, Valentino Salazar

There is an object by a similar description (PGC38077) in something called Leda, a database for physics of galaxies.

I don't understand galactic coordinate systems, so I have not a clue where it's at, nor it's distance.

But I see that others have found it: NGC 1232.

Yay!
 
  • #15
What version of Starry Night? I have 5.01 and though it lists that galaxy (as a companion to one without the .1), it doesn't show an image. It is magnitude 15.5.
 
  • #16
Thanks for the replies, you've all been very helpful. Although my authority is lacking other than that I am the OP, I think that SteamKing has got it with NGC 1231. As to that galaxy residing in a different constellation from what Starry Night (version six, russ_watters) says, I just clicked on a few other random galaxies and I have found what to me looks like the same picture of NGC 1231 manipulated to look three dimensional, but under the information PGC 139273, 453.2 Mly from the Sun, App. Mag -2.39, in Ursa Major. I'm guessing this is some sort of programming fault rather than identical galaxies...
 
  • #17
Shutupwesley said:
Thanks for the replies, you've all been very helpful. Although my authority is lacking other than that I am the OP, I think that SteamKing has got it with NGC 1231. As to that galaxy residing in a different constellation from what Starry Night (version six, russ_watters) says, I just clicked on a few other random galaxies and I have found what to me looks like the same picture of NGC 1231 manipulated to look three dimensional, but under the information PGC 139273, 453.2 Mly from the Sun, App. Mag -2.39, in Ursa Major. I'm guessing this is some sort of programming fault rather than identical galaxies...

It doesn't sound like a fault, from what you've described. It sounds like you are wandering around in the software further than the Hubble has taken "crisp" images of. If I were the software developers, looking at what might be 10,000 spiral galaxies at the fringe of our universe, I'd copy and paste.

Hubble Goes to the eXtreme to Assemble Farthest-Ever View of the Universe
 
  • #18
OmCheeto said:
It doesn't sound like a fault, from what you've described. It sounds like you are wandering around in the software further than the Hubble has taken "crisp" images of. If I were the software developers, looking at what might be 10,000 spiral galaxies at the fringe of our universe, I'd copy and paste.


Personally, I would just leave this at the edge of the universe...
 

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1. What is a galaxy?

A galaxy is a large grouping of stars, planets, dust, and gas held together by gravity. They come in various shapes and sizes, and there are estimated to be billions of galaxies in the universe.

2. How do we identify galaxies?

Galaxies are identified by their distinct shapes and patterns of stars. They can also be categorized based on their color, brightness, and spectral characteristics.

3. What are the different types of galaxies?

The three main types of galaxies are spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Spiral galaxies have a central bulge and arms that spiral outwards, while elliptical galaxies are more oval in shape. Irregular galaxies do not have a distinct shape and often contain young stars and gas clouds.

4. How do galaxies form?

Galaxies are formed from the gravitational collapse of clouds of gas and dust. As the cloud collapses, it forms a protogalaxy, which eventually settles into a more stable shape. The exact process of galaxy formation is still not fully understood.

5. How do we study galaxies?

Scientists study galaxies through various methods, including observation using telescopes, computer simulations, and studying the light and spectra emitted by galaxies. They also use the laws of physics and mathematics to understand the formation and evolution of galaxies.

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