Posted on Jan 20, 2021

APOD: 2021 January 20 - The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy

Maj William W. 'Bill' Price

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Good morning, Rallypoint. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is titled "The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy." Find the Big Dipper and follow the handle away from the dipper's bowl until you get to the last bright star. Then, just slide your telescope a little south and west and you'll come upon this stunning pair of interacting galaxies, the 51st entry in Charles Messier's famous catalog. Using a radio telescope, one can visualize the magnetic fields tracing the curvature of the galaxy's spiral arms. Yet through NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) observatory, the magnetic field at the outer edge of M51's disk appears to weave across the arms instead. At only 25 million light years distant and fully 50 thousand light years across, the Whirlpool is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky.

APOD: 2021 January 20 - The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy

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LTC Stephen F.

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Whirlpool Galaxy

Provided to YouTube by Amuseio ABWhirlpool Galaxy · Crazy GalaxyWhirlpool Galaxy Crazy GalaxyReleased on: 2019-03-01Artist: Crazy GalaxyWriter: Crazy Galaxy...

Thank you my friend Maj William W. 'Bill' Price for posting the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for January 20, 2022 entitled "The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy.

Image: The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy - Image Credit - NASA, SOFIA, HAWC+, Alejandro S. Borlaff; JPL-Caltech, ESA, Hubble; Text - Jayanne English (U. Manitoba)

Very interesting radio-wave image of the Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy

APOD background
"Explanation: Do magnetic fields always flow along spiral arms? Our face-on view of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) allows a spectacularly clear view of the spiral wave pattern in a disk-shaped galaxy. When observed with a radio telescope, the magnetic field appears to trace the arms' curvature. However, with NASA’s flying Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) observatory, the magnetic field at the outer edge of M51's disk appears to weave across the arms instead. Magnetic fields are inferred by grains of dust aligning in one direction and acting like polaroid glasses on infrared light. In the featured image, the field orientations determined from this polarized light are algorithmically connected, creating streamlines. Possibly the gravitational tug of the companion galaxy, at the top of the frame, on the dusty gas of the reddish star-forming regions, visible in the Hubble Space Telescope image, enhances turbulence -- stirring the dust and lines to produce the unexpected field pattern of the outer arms."

Whirlpool Galaxy · Crazy Galaxy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHUNFUm9dwE

FYI Maj Robert Thornton Lt Col Charlie Brown COL Mikel J. Burroughs PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Sgt Vance Bonds MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. TSgt David L.PO2 (Join to see) SSG Michael Noll SMSgt David A Asbury SMSgt Lawrence McCarter PO1 H Gene Lawrence SPC Michael Terrell SPC Michael Terrell SSG Samuel Kermon SFC Chuck Martinez SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL

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LTC Stephen F.

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Chris Warner - Whirlpool Galaxy

Mystical cathedral organ, shimmering cinematic strings & ethereal soprano build into an epic celestial dance.Factoid: The organ and vocals (Grace Davidson) o...