Stunning Double Ring Galaxy Captured by NASA Astronomers on 7 June 2023
Recently, a stunning photograph of the Trifid Nebula was shared, which was first identified by French astronomer Charles Messier as the 20th object in his Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas d’Étoiles. This catalogue, now known as the Messier Objects, includes 110 celestial objects that were studied and catalogued by Messier. In recent months, NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day has showcased numerous remarkable images of celestial objects captured by astrophotographers worldwide.
Today’s NASA astronomy image is a snapshot of M94, also known as the Double Ring Galaxy, which contains more than 40 billion stars. According to NASA, the double ring galaxy is located about 15 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici, also known as the Hounds. M94 was discovered in 1781 by another French astronomer, Pierre Mechain, and cataloged by Charles Messier two days later.
The technique used to take the picture
This stunning snapshot was captured by astrophotographer Brian Brennan using a ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, an Explore Scientific ED 102mm APO Refractor telescope, and a William Optics UniGuide Scope mounted on a ZWO AM5 Harmonic Equatorial Mount.
NASA description of the image
Most galaxies don’t have rings of stars and gas – why does M94 have two? First, the spiral galaxy M94 has an inner ring of newly formed stars surrounding its core, giving it not only an unusual appearance but also a strong inner glow. The leading origin hypothesis claims that an elongated knot of stars, known as a column, rotates in M94 and has sparked a burst of star formation in this inner ring. Observations have also revealed another ring, the outer ring, which is paler, different in color, not closed and relatively complex. What caused this outer ring is not yet known. M94 in this image spans a total of about 45,000 light-years, is located about 15 million light-years away, and can be seen with a small telescope toward the constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici).
