Galactic Dust Lanes

Messier 63, The Sunflower Galaxy - Autonomous Robotic Telescope - PIRATE, Open University. Pip Stakkert

"The weather over the Jodrell Plank Observatory remains poor with strong winds and rain lashing those foolish enough to venture forth into the 'great outdoors'. Pip however has spent his free time wisely, using data collected from the remotely accessible PIRATE telescope on Mount Teide in the Canary Islands, to produce this image of the beautiful Sunflower Galaxy viewed amongst the stars of the constellation Canes Venatici. In reality the galaxy is much further away than these Milky Way stars at approximately 27 million light years distant from our Solar System. The spiral arms of the galaxy containing millions of stars can be seen clearly with dark dust lanes creating a visual 3-dimensional effect. The incredible amounts of gas and dust that make up these islands of matter in the universe have been brought together and set spinning by the the all pervading force of gravity. Each and every active star that we can see on any clear night is at some point in a gigantic nuclear tussle with gravity which will eventually lead to metamorphosis. When this will happen and what the star will become depends only upon the it's initial mass. Gravity will eventually overwhelm the radiative pressure of nuclear fusion at it's core and then it will commence a one way process which will end in the creation of a 'white dwarf star', a 'neutron star' or a 'back hole'." -  Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Obsevatory.

Messier 31, The Andromeda Galaxy - a dark dust lane seen against the galaxy's central core - Autonomous Robotic Telescope - PIRATE, Open University. Pip Stakkert