中文翻譯:
在一個美麗的星系裡，有一個叫做NGC 1309的旋渦星系。它距離我們大約一億光年，位於一個叫做流星座（Eridanus）的地方。NGC 1309的大小約為30,000光年，這大約是我們的銀河系的三分之一。這裡有很多藍色的年輕星星和灰塵，像小河流一樣沿著它的旋渦星臂流淌，而在星系的中心，則有一群年紀較大的黃色星星。這不僅僅是一個好看的旋渦星系，因為最近有兩次超新星大爆炸發生，還有很多可變星（Cepheid variable stars）的觀測資料幫助我們了解宇宙的擴張。而在這幅美麗的圖片中，還有許多更遠的背景星系在等待我們去發現！
原文:
This galaxy is not only pretty — it’s useful. A gorgeous spiral some 100 million light-years distant, NGC 1309 lies on the banks of the constellation of the River (Eridanus). NGC 1309 spans about 30,000 light-years, making it about one third the size of our larger Milky Way galaxy. Bluish clusters of young stars and dust lanes are seen to trace out NGC 1309’s spiral arms as they wind around an older yellowish star population at its core. Not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy, observations of NGC 1309’s two recent supernovas and multiple Cepheid variable stars contribute to the calibration of the expansion of the Universe. Still, after you get over this beautiful galaxy’s grand design, check out the array of more distant background galaxies also recorded in this sharp image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
來源:NASA每日圖片
