Messier 108
Lowell Observatory astronomer Phil Massey and his graduate student research assistant Kathryn Neugent recently captured this spectacular image of a beautiful spiral galaxy known as M108 using the Discovery Channel Telescope. Located 50 million light years from Earth, M108 is part of the Milky Way’s local neighborhood. In fact, if we could see our own galaxy from far off in space, it might resemble this one. The pinwheel pattern characteristic of spiral galaxies isn’t obvious in M108 because the galaxy is inclined.
The dark splotches visible in the galaxy are regions of gas and dust silhouetted by the light of stars that lie behind them. Future generations of stars will be born from this material.
Because M108 is so far away it’s impossible to see individual stars in this galaxy, we see only their collective glow. The stars you see sprinkled across the image are actually in our own Milky Way galaxy. Like raindrops on a windowpane, these stars get in the way when we look out at more distant objects.
Lowell Observatory’s Discovery Channel Telescope is one of the premier telescopes in the world for its size.
Discovery Channel Telescope at Happy Jack AZ USA
If you’d like to see more beautiful images captured by the DCT, check out our gallery:
http://www2.lowell.edu/rsch/LMI/gallery.html
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Lowell Observatory is an independent, non-profit research institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona – the world’s first International Dark-Sky City.
Our mission is to pursue the study of astronomy, especially the study of our solar system and its evolution; to conduct pure research in astronomical phenomena; and to maintain quality public education and outreach programs to bring the results of astronomical research to the general public.
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