Another question

[Astro Dave]

Ok, LOTS (one, in fact) of people have expressed an interest in running another of our very popular.... err, make that reasonably popular , OK, acceptably popular quiz questions. Sooo, I dug this one up.

We might even talk Radar into donating one of his telescopes to the winner?? (You have too many Radar)

OK: What is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way?

[Robert TG]

Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy is located about 42,000 light years fron the centre of the Milky Way.

[Radar]

Does it matter if it is a Satellite Galaxy? I would have thought the LMC or SMC, but they are Satellite Galaxies. I would then move onto Andromeda. I've never heard of the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy But I just googled (cheated) and yes, it is only 42,000 light years away (a short bike ride).

But this question asked for a Galaxy, not a dwarf galalxy, so maybe I'm still in the running to win one of my own telescopes :Chessy_Smile:

[Astro Dave]

"A galaxy by any other name would sound as sweet." Mozart ... I think??

We're actually splitting hairs here aren't we Radar: but you do have a point ... a mute on, but a point nevertheless. Here at the cosmic 'Deal or No Deal' we have decided to award you the telescope prize for being so cranially innovative. - lucky you! Yay for Radar.

Robert, of course, was spot on... and first in. Now, in the essence of standard undemocratic principles Robert TG is hereby acknowledged as the outright winner with the prize being the prestige a win of this magnitude entails.

Here's how the answer pans out:
Using infrared light, astronomers have just found a small galaxy of about a billion stars in the constellation Canis Major, that is - astonishingly - only about 25,000 light-years away from the Sun. That's closer to us than the centre of our own Milky Way!

The Canis Major dwarf galaxy is not faring well in its gravitational battle with the Milky Way, and there are streamers of stars being pulled off the smaller galaxy onto the disc of our own. Some of these cannibalized stars are drifting down to become part of the Milky Way's disc.

[Radar]

Here at the cosmic 'Deal or No Deal' we have decided to award you the telescope prize for being so cranially innovative. - lucky you! Yay for Radar.

lol :duh:



Using infrared light, astronomers have just found a small galaxy of about a billion stars in the constellation Canis Major, that is - astonishingly - only about 25,000 light-years away from the Sun. That's closer to us than the centre of our own Milky Way!


Gotta love how the science books keep getting rewritten. So I take it that this galaxy cannot really be imaged by amateurs?

[Astro Dave]

I guess it could- so the question is "How good do you reckon you are?"

[Robert TG]

"A galaxy by any other name would sound as sweet." Mozart ... I think??



I think that saying is a Dave origional. LOL :welldone:

It could be said to be a paraphrase of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

Juliet says... "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

[Radar]

I guess it could- so the question is "How good do you reckon you are?"

Hmm, I've shot that area of sky before. I've never seen a hint of a galaxy (such as this), but I guess this would make a great challenge. A search of the Internet does not reveal any proper images of this object. The Internet only shows the infrared light emitted by this object.

And Robert, was that Shakespeare from memory or a cut and paste? :Chessy_Smile:

[Robert TG]

I Knew the saying was from Shakespeare, but I had to look up the location (which play) and context of the saying.
Back then (1590's) Beautiful Language was used.
Today we live in an age of Letters... ie: DNA, ly, LMC, SMC, etc. LOL.

[CanisMajorTom]

Another Galaxy only 25,000 light years away? Man that is close in universal distances. Surely a Galaxy that close can be imaged easily. Guys?

[Astro Dave]

Robert how right you are (again!!**&&**) but being a Capulet I have trouble with the funny words. I'm stuck with the Heffron era 'Baby Boomer' language we learned at skool when we were taught to speak good .. if you know what I mean.

I'm a bit unsure of your claim we're living today "in an age of letters" - Can U B sure of that? I had ADD then caught ADHD which U no isn't pleasant. Makes it hard 2 read things. BTW, at least my DVD is cool, bought it on EFTPOS.

My PDA has GPS and Wi-Fi ... it's fab, plus I have something to keep me occupied reading the manual on long plane flights. E&OE excepted of course.

Radar & Canis Major Tom, get cracking .. you young chaps of this 'new generation' are much more tech savvy than oldies like me and Robert - or Robert and I if you want to be picky. You might get the image of the century. It is possible!

I guess you just need a positive frame of mind and you can do it. I'm a 'glass half full' kinda guy so I've every confidence in you.