Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2019 November 5
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                     Spiral Galaxies Spinning Super-Fast
       Image Credit: Top row: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]Hubble, P. Ogle & J.
                           DePasquale ([6]STScI);
           Bottom row: [7]SDSS, P. Ogle & J. DePasquale ([8]STScI)

   Explanation: Why are these galaxies spinning so fast? If you estimated
   each [9]spiral's mass by how much light it emits, their fast rotations
   should [10]break them apart. The leading hypothesis as to why these
   galaxies don't break apart is [11]dark matter -- mass so dark we can't
   see it. But [12]these galaxies are even out-spinning this break-up
   limit -- they are the [13]fastest rotating disk galaxies known. It is
   therefore [14]further hypothesized that their [15]dark matter halos are
   so massive -- and their spins so fast -- that it is harder for them to
   form stars than [16]regular spirals. If so, then these galaxies may be
   among the [17]most massive spirals possible. Further study of
   surprising super-spirals like these will continue, likely including
   observations taken by [18]NASA's [19]James Webb Space Telescope
   scheduled for launch in 2021.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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    Authors & editors: [31]Robert Nemiroff ([32]MTU) & [33]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([34]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [35]Specific rights apply.
              [36]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [37]ASD at [38]NASA / [39]GSFC
                           & [40]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1911/SuperSpirals_HubbleSDSS_1777.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.spacetelescope.org/
   5. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html
   6. http://www.stsci.edu/
   7. https://www.sdss.org/
   8. http://www.stsci.edu/
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190629.html
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs7x1Hu29Wc&t=143s
  11. https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/what-is-dark-matter.html
  12. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2019/news-2019-54
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170307.html
  14. https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.09080
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter_halo
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_galaxy
  17. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019ApJ...884L..11O/abstract
  18. https://www.nasa.gov/
  19. https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191104.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  29. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=191105
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191106.html
  31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  34. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  37. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  40. http://www.mtu.edu/