APOD: 2022 November 8 - Galaxies: Wilds Triplet from Hubble

Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the November 8th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): "Wild's Triplet from Hubble." Found in the constellation Virgo, these galaxies are named after British-born Australian scientist John Paul Wild. The two galaxies in opposite corners of this image lie about 200 million light years away, and are connected by a gravitational 'tidal tail' of stars, gas, and dust. The third galaxy (middle image) is actually much further away in the background.

The life story of Dr. Wild is an interesting one. Born in 1923, he served as a radar officer in the Royal Navy during World War II. He was commissioned a 'Probationary Temporary acting sub-Lieutenant' in July 1943, and after training was assigned to the battleship HMS King George V. He was responsible for 24 radar sets and 60 subordinates on what became the flagship of the British Pacific Fleet. While on leave in Australia during the war, he became engaged to Australian Elaine Hull. They were married in 1947. Elaine's brother David would later remark "Australia has my sister to thank for giving it one of its greatest scientists."

Wild applied his Navy training to the study of the Sun, and he helped build and operate the world's first solar radio-spectrograph and radio-heliograph in New South Wales. In 1972, he invented Interscan, a microwave landing system (MLS) intended to replace or supplement the instrument landing systems (ILS). From 1978 to 1985, Dr. Wild led the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO; analogous to the US National Science Foundation). In retirement, he studied gravitational theory. He died in 2008 at the age of 84.