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Credit & Copyright: Brian Brennan
Explanation:
Most galaxies don't have any rings of stars and gas -- why does
M94 have two?
First,
spiral galaxy
M94 has an inner ring of newly formed stars surrounding its nucleus,
giving it not only an unusual appearance but also a strong interior glow.
A leading origin hypothesis holds that an elongated
knot of stars known as a
bar rotates in
M94 and has generated a burst of
star formation in this inner ring.
Observations have also revealed another ring, an outer ring, one that is more
faint, different in color, not closed, and relatively complex.
What caused this outer ring is currently unknown.
M94,
pictured here, spans about 45,000 light years in total, lies about 15 million light years away,
and can be seen with a
small telescope toward the constellation
of the Hunting Dogs
(Canes Venatici).
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& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 94 - ring galaxy
Publications with words: M 94 - ring galaxy
See also: