Posted on Oct 9, 2024
APOD: 2024 October 9 – M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center
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Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the October 9th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). We visit the 106th entry in Charles Messier's 'not a comet' catalogue, lying some 23.5 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs). Messier 106 (M106) was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain in July of 1781. Méchain mentioned the discovery in a letter to Johann Bernoulli dated May 6, 1783. It was added to the Messier catalog in 1947, along with M105 and M107.
What is the 'strange center' of M106? For openers, scientists believe it is a black hole. The presence of ionized gas jets have been observed running the length of the galaxy (~60,000 light years). What also makes M106 interesting is the class of emissions (both radio wave and X-ray) that can be detected, earning this object the moniker 'Seyfert galaxy.' A Seyfert galaxy is believed to be a low-luminosity version of the same phenomenon observed in quasars.
This image of M106 comes to us from the Kuwaiti desert. There's something to be said for looking at the stars under dark skies.
What is the 'strange center' of M106? For openers, scientists believe it is a black hole. The presence of ionized gas jets have been observed running the length of the galaxy (~60,000 light years). What also makes M106 interesting is the class of emissions (both radio wave and X-ray) that can be detected, earning this object the moniker 'Seyfert galaxy.' A Seyfert galaxy is believed to be a low-luminosity version of the same phenomenon observed in quasars.
This image of M106 comes to us from the Kuwaiti desert. There's something to be said for looking at the stars under dark skies.
APOD: 2024 October 9 – M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center
Posted from apod.nasa.gov
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Posted 3 mo ago
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Amazing they were able to discern the galaxies so well with such rudimentary equipment.
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Thank's for posting .. hey, here's what I am following: The latest discussions and observations regarding Betelgeuse, particularly from the information available up to October 9, 2024, indicate that there has been significant interest and some confusion about its behavior and potential to go supernova:
- **Dimming and Brightening**: Betelgeuse has shown significant variations in brightness, which stirred speculation about an imminent supernova. For instance, it experienced a notable dimming event in late 2019 and early 2020, which was later attributed to a dust cloud caused by a massive ejection of material from the star, not necessarily a precursor to an immediate supernova.
- **Current State**: Recent posts on X and updates from various sources suggest there's been a mix of excitement and misinformation regarding Betelgeuse going supernova "now." However, these posts and live streams seem to capitalize on the star's infamous variability and public interest rather than new scientific announcements of it actually going supernova.
- **Scientific Expectation**: Research and observations up to 2024 suggest that Betelgeuse is in a stage where it's burning helium to carbon and oxygen in its core. Scientists have predicted that Betelgeuse will go supernova, but the timeline for this event remains in the realm of "tens of years" to possibly within the next 100,000 years. There's no definitive evidence from scientific communities suggesting it's happening right now.
- **Public Interest and Misinformation**: There's been a surge in public interest leading to live streams and posts claiming the supernova event is occurring. These are likely misinterpretations or sensationalizations of Betelgeuse's normal variability or other astrophysical events misattributed to Betelgeuse.
- **Long-term Prediction**: Astronomers have refined predictions about Betelgeuse's lifecycle, suggesting that its core might collapse leading to a supernova explosion potentially in "a few tens of years," but this remains speculative within an astronomical context.
Given this context, as of the latest information available, Betelgeuse has not gone supernova, but continues to be closely watched by both the scientific community and enthusiasts for any signs that might indicate the nearing of such an event. Always remember, posts on platforms like X can sometimes spread excitement or misinformation, and for definitive astrophysical events, confirmation from established astronomical research institutions would be key.
- **Dimming and Brightening**: Betelgeuse has shown significant variations in brightness, which stirred speculation about an imminent supernova. For instance, it experienced a notable dimming event in late 2019 and early 2020, which was later attributed to a dust cloud caused by a massive ejection of material from the star, not necessarily a precursor to an immediate supernova.
- **Current State**: Recent posts on X and updates from various sources suggest there's been a mix of excitement and misinformation regarding Betelgeuse going supernova "now." However, these posts and live streams seem to capitalize on the star's infamous variability and public interest rather than new scientific announcements of it actually going supernova.
- **Scientific Expectation**: Research and observations up to 2024 suggest that Betelgeuse is in a stage where it's burning helium to carbon and oxygen in its core. Scientists have predicted that Betelgeuse will go supernova, but the timeline for this event remains in the realm of "tens of years" to possibly within the next 100,000 years. There's no definitive evidence from scientific communities suggesting it's happening right now.
- **Public Interest and Misinformation**: There's been a surge in public interest leading to live streams and posts claiming the supernova event is occurring. These are likely misinterpretations or sensationalizations of Betelgeuse's normal variability or other astrophysical events misattributed to Betelgeuse.
- **Long-term Prediction**: Astronomers have refined predictions about Betelgeuse's lifecycle, suggesting that its core might collapse leading to a supernova explosion potentially in "a few tens of years," but this remains speculative within an astronomical context.
Given this context, as of the latest information available, Betelgeuse has not gone supernova, but continues to be closely watched by both the scientific community and enthusiasts for any signs that might indicate the nearing of such an event. Always remember, posts on platforms like X can sometimes spread excitement or misinformation, and for definitive astrophysical events, confirmation from established astronomical research institutions would be key.
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Maj William W. 'Bill' Price
SGT James Murphy I didn't see a distance estimate to Betelgeuse in your summary (613-881 light years is shown online). So it could already have gone nova, and we wouldn't know about it yet.
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