Happy Atheist Forum

I have a galaxy classification test on friday, I need your help.

In this thread, post a picture of a galaxy preferably with its name, I will classify for it you. If there are any galaxies that have been bothering you recently, and you want a second opinion on the degree of their bar, or how lenticular they are, here is the place to get some advice.

I'll get this rolling.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsci.esa.int%2Fscience-e-media%2Fimg%2F8c%2Fheic0506a-410.jpg&hash=f54077605110e517a3c47e27788b85e9dfa6af9e)

NGC 51, on account of the small bulge, well resolved arms that are fairly loosley wound, im going with normal spiral class c, or

"Sc" in tuning fork vernacular.

What a cool topic!

This is the pinwheel galaxy.
(sorry for the link but it is too wide for the forum and i prefer the larger pic - tis more majestic)..


http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/screen/heic0602a.jpg

hmmmmm, Pinwheel eh?

Small central bulge again, the arms are more tightly wound, looks like to me, but they have very well defiend nebulae and star clusters in them, I'd go with Sb for that badboy.

The Andromeda galaxy..


(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.utahskies.org%2Fevents%2F20010824%2FM31-TheAndromedaGalaxy.jpg&hash=e09ba2ce31f05982bec858990c2e780cd90ad5a6)

Galaxy NGC6822

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-2.web.britannica.com%2Feb-media%2F54%2F111754-004-EAB200E0.jpg&hash=5c4d281b6eac7aa1a396975f5e6bac02a5225cac)

Quote from: "karadan"The Andromeda galaxy..


(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.utahskies.org%2Fevents%2F20010824%2FM31-TheAndromedaGalaxy.jpg&hash=e09ba2ce31f05982bec858990c2e780cd90ad5a6)

now, this one is close, it does not look substantially different from a lenticular, though this is from the edge on picture, there are soem spiral arms visible.

Though look at that bulge! what a bulge, this would classifiy for me as Sa, quite an "early type" galaxy, there could be minimal barring in there, so I may go with SBa.

Thanks for the help so far by the way!

Quote from: "karadan"Galaxy NGC6822

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-2.web.britannica.com%2Feb-media%2F54%2F111754-004-EAB200E0.jpg&hash=5c4d281b6eac7aa1a396975f5e6bac02a5225cac)

Wow this is some irregular looking galaxy right here.]

Though, due to the low brightness envelope, I am tempted to call it  dwarf eliptical, it barley has more luminosity than the stars in the forground, unfortunatley, i can't tell wether it is weak or far away though.

The other thing messing with me is the spectral type, there look to be a lot of O B class stars in there, this is not at all typical of eleipticals, or dwarf ellipticals, which leads me back to thinking irregular. the smudgy tail leads me to think this as well.

Im going to go with Irr2, it seems quite smooth, hence the 2, as opposed to one.

Hehe, well done. The second one was described as 'irregular' from the place i got it.

The Andromeda galaxy will collide with ours in 5billion years time, don'tcha know

I'll try posting more when i get back from work and the pub.

Much obliged old bean

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real astronomers cover their nipples with their belts, FACT

Dude, this is way cooler than what we did in my Astronomy class. Granted, that was my freshman year, and it was 101, and most the kids thought a parsec is a measure of time because of goddamn George Lucas, but still!

This test is the only part of the course I am worried about, I just have no idea what she is going to throw at us, so I am preparing for the worst.

Also, my favorite Galaxy, M104, or more commonly the sombrero galaxy.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gautschi.net-teach.net%2Fimages%2FSombrero_Galaxy.jpg&hash=c43760d13b1b805f7fb04a582f1e9b1e172ab3e1)

While at first glance, it apears and unbarred lenticular ( So3 due to the dust lanes ), it is in fact a spiral galaxy, it has extremley tightly wound arms, and the arms are smooth in their complexion, denoting it as Sa, maybe Sab if I am feeling ungenerous with it's bulge, which is a bit small for a galaxy of this type.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters%2Fgoddard%2Fimages%2Fcontent%2F96666main_galaxy_string_4_web_small.jpg&hash=2777cf964ea2deb1f400d09d083e87e2e4be448f)

there is a larger image of it in the link.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/new ... ament.html (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0107filament.html)

Quote from: "laetusatheos"(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters%2Fgoddard%2Fimages%2Fcontent%2F96666main_galaxy_string_4_web_small.jpg&hash=2777cf964ea2deb1f400d09d083e87e2e4be448f)

there is a larger image of it in the link.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/new ... ament.html (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0107filament.html)

 i have no idea, that looks like no galaxy I have ever seen. It's really smooth looking, but with a weird irregular shape. If pushed I would go for Irr1 due to the splotchy appearance, but it does not look quite right. Either there are some really large clouds in that galaxy, or that galaxy is so massive/far away telescopes can't resolve the stars properly.

The Blue starts are suggestive of a really young galaxy, but most young galaxies do not have that crazy shape.

I would go with some crazy irregular galaxy type, Irr1, perhaps.

Quote from: "SSY"I would go with some crazy irregular galaxy type, Irr1, perhaps.

I just posted it because the article described it as a huge glaxy and I had never seen anything that looked like that called a galaxy...I don't know what shape is the correct answer.

From the article:

QuoteWide-field telescope observations of the remote and therefore early Universe, looking back to a time when it was a fifth of its present age (redshift = 2.38), have revealed an enormous string of galaxies about 300 million light-years long.

It's not one galaxy. I guess this would be similar to the sloan great wall (or perhaps the same structure, based on the date of the article. The article doesn't mention a name.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloan_Great_Wall

I was close, ish, i hope we get easier stuff than

"Classify this unknown and unexplained phenomena, your time starts now."

http://www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de/users/mcamenzi/n4258.jpg
M87

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fx.astrogeek.org%2Fgallery%2Fobjects%2Fngc246-cremer.jpg&hash=9b3a3ef482f055989fbd313d87b465546127b901)

NGC 246

Quote from: "SSY"I was close, ish, i hope we get easier stuff than

"Classify this unknown and unexplained phenomena, your time starts now."

I remember when I first read about the Sloan great wall, I was floored. What a wonderful way to feel small.

Err, looks like a bok globule or other nebulae, assuming it is a galaxy though  either the stars are ancient pop 2 stars, or they are ultra sparse to my reckoning, to explain the dimness.

I am really hoping those giant stars are in the foreground as well.

I would go for some form of eliptical, maybe a dwarf spheroidal on account of the dimness, I would expect a GC to be denser than that.

dSph is what I am going for

Edit, felt the same way about the coma cluster, " what? galaxies are in clusters and these clusters are arranged into super clusters? And there are billions of stars in even a single galaxy? Woah"

Quote from: "SSY"Err, looks like a bok globule or other nebulae, assuming it is a galaxy though  either the stars are ancient pop 2 stars, or they are ultra sparse to my reckoning, to explain the dimness.

I am really hoping those giant stars are in the foreground as well.

I would go for some form of eliptical, maybe a dwarf spheroidal on account of the dimness, I would expect a GC to be denser than that.

dSph is what I am going for

No you're right, NGC 246 is a nebulae.

And what about M87 (You'll have to click the linky.) -- It's most certainly a galaxy.

QuoteEdit, felt the same way about the coma cluster, " what? galaxies are in clusters and these clusters are arranged into super clusters? And there are billions of stars in even a single galaxy? Woah"

Precisely!

M87

there is some degree of barrness right there, you can tell from the overshoot of the arms. the arms are tightly wound and poorly resolved, this puts it as an early type spiral, SBa I would go for.

note, early type and late type have no chronological meaning, it is a hangover from hubbles assumptions about galactic evolution.

I'm just going to put a curve ball down the pipe here. Just a shot the HST Ultra Deep Field View. What are the galaxies in the photo? I don't know their names, but what I want to know is their classification. This is a good test.
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa184%2FMcQ14%2FPicture1-1.png&hash=cd5eaf57e9aa1e06cd18b7ba89220c9882c616a0)

Hmm,

That one in the top left is lenticular, barred, maybe SBo1

top right is a spiral S3 I would say

the ornage one below it is a barred spiral, SBab

There looks to be a yellow eliptical in there, quite small but sdense, im going E4 on account of its elongation.

That irregular cluster at the bottom has poor declination, its hard to make out, Im going spiral for top 2 and Irr2 for the bottom one, though the dust lanes are the most prominant feature.

I LOVE this stuff!! makes me go all starry-eyed with wonder.  

What a beautifully magnificent place the universe is!

Quote from: "SSY"Hmm,

That one in the top left is lenticular, barred, maybe SBo1

top right is a spiral S3 I would say

the ornage one below it is a barred spiral, SBab

There looks to be a yellow eliptical in there, quite small but sdense, im going E4 on account of its elongation.

That irregular cluster at the bottom has poor declination, its hard to make out, Im going spiral for top 2 and Irr2 for the bottom one, though the dust lanes are the most prominant feature.

Well, I wish I knew all of the correct answers, but I can only guess at them.
I am fascinated by that Spiral in the upper right. It just looks strange, possibly due to the angle of view, but it interests me.
I am enjoying this thread, by the way (the amateur astronomer geek in me is all jazzed up!). Good idea, SSY.

M81
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.skymutt.multiply.com%2Fimage%2F4%2Fphotos%2F1%2F600x600%2F1%2Fm81galaxy.jpg%3Fet%3D1nkLN0X%252CUK98juva99IZMA%26amp%3Bnmid%3D169227593&hash=09b35b5453b4bda6ffe93ff695d64b15ac94d391)

Probably too easy for you, but one of my favorites.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atlasoftheuniverse.com%2Fgalgrps%2Fm081.jpg&hash=e50fddeed9f27c51a946088b37ee29c29205e007)

I went and got a bigger picture.

The arms are quite tightly wound, but the bulge is a bit too small, and the arms too well resolved to call it an Sa, I am going for Sb on that one. The galaxy is slightly elongated, but I would not go far as to say it has a bar in it.

Do you have you Messier Certification, or is that what you're going for? What do you use for instrumentation for viewing?

I did some reading up last night because this thread has rekindled a fire within me for space stuff I found out a few astonishing facts (well, to me.. you guys probably already knew them).

The andromeda galaxy has a 'satellite galaxy' (M32) which orbits on a different plane. It passed through the main disk of Andromeda at some point in the past, stripping it of some of its mass and causing various rings on the plane of andromedas disk.

Andromeda appears quite small without a telescope because only the central part is bright enough to be visible, but the full angular diameter of the galaxy is seven times that of the full moon!

Quote from: "karadan"I did some reading up last night because this thread has rekindled a fire within me for space stuff I found out a few astonishing facts (well, to me.. you guys probably already knew them).

The andromeda galaxy has a 'satellite galaxy' (M32) which orbits on a different plane. It passed through the main disk of Andromeda at some point in the past, stripping it of some of its mass and causing various rings on the plane of andromedas disk.

Andromeda appears quite small without a telescope because only the central part is bright enough to be visible, but the full angular diameter of the galaxy is seven times that of the full moon!

Cool stuff. It looks really nice through a good pair of astronomical binoculars. I have an older version of the Celestron C-8 telescope, which I love, but I REALLY love using astronomical binoculars for viewing. I've got a pair of Celestron 8X56 that are light and easy to use. Probably use them more than anything else. And the big daddy of binoculars for me is the Celestron 25 x 100mm SkyMaster. It's a heavy beast, but that's what tripods are made for!

Quote from: "McQ"Do you have you Messier Certification, or is that what you're going for? What do you use for instrumentation for viewing?

This was just a little test for the lecture, did quite well, I got one about a spiral wrong, but I blame the crap plate used.

Anyway, Thanks for your help everyone!