What do irregular galaxies look like

The phenomenon is more intense for objects without atmospheres, such as asteroids, where temperatures vary wildly. Like everything in our solar system, asteroids are battered by the solar wind , a steady stream of particles, magnetic fields, and radiation that flows from the Sun.

Without magnetic fields or atmospheres of their own, asteroids receive the brunt of the solar wind. This GIF shows a drop of insulin solution contained by surface tension in the Ring Sheared Drop device as part of an experiment conducted aboard the International Space Station. The device pins a drop of liquid between two rings and rotates one while keeping the other stationary to create shear flow, or a difference in velocity between adjacent liquid layers.

Scientists investigating the mechanisms of certain diseases on Earth must contend with the forces of gravity and the interaction between liquids and solid containers.

These forces differ from such interfaces in the body, such as those in arteries and brain tissue, and can affect results. The Ring Sheared Drop investigation team developed a device that uses surface tension rather than a solid container to hold liquids, something possible only in microgravity!

Fluid extracted after each run will return to Earth aboard a Dragon capsule on September 30 so researchers can determine the extent of protein fibril formation, study their structure, and compare both to what happens in ground-based controls.

Results could improve the fundamental understanding of how amyloid fibrils form and are transported, as well as the effects of shear at fluid interfaces relevant to conditions in the body. But how much? And where did it come from?

VIPER aims to answer these questions and more by venturing into shadowed craters and visiting other areas of scientific interest over its day mission. The findings will inform future landing sites under the Artemis program and help pave the way toward establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon. Here are five things to know:. The approximately 1,pound rover will be delivered to the Moon by a commercial vendor as part of our Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, delivering science and technology payloads to and near the Moon.

A lot can change in five decades! How we talk, what we wear — it all evolves. Join us for a road trip through the decades from the idea of an Earth-imaging satellite in the groovy 60s to the launch of Landsat 9 this year.

Hop in! Far out! In , USGS proposed a satellite to image land all around our planet. Researchers worked with our scientists and engineers to design the satellite and figure out how it would work.

The satellite launched in and provided the first digital data of Earth, repeated at regular intervals, which allows us to see changes as they happen. In , we launched Landsat 4, followed by Landsat 5 in These two satellites collected more wavelengths of light at higher precision, allowing for natural color images, which is totally radical, dude.

Wasssup, s? Landsat 7 launched this decade, collecting even more data than previous Landsat satellites, enough to produce the first hi-res natural color map of remote Antarctica. This gave peeps around the world access to all the data they needed, unlocking innovation and creating economic benefits, like the ability to track crop health from space.

In , Landsat 8 began the modern era of Landsat observations. A new style of sensor and ground system made it possible to download much more and better data than ever before.

We heart that! Two Landsat satellites with two instruments each will highkey change our view of Earth once again. Now, on to the next 50 years of Earth observations! Stay tuned to watch Landsat 9 launch and start telling us even more about our home planet. Weird and Wonderful Irregular Galaxies Spiral and elliptical galaxies seem neatly put together, but what happened to irregular galaxies?

However, they have some characteristics in common with spirals, at least. For one thing, many have sites of active star formation. Some may even have black holes at their hearts. So, how do irregulars form? It seems that they are typically formed through gravitational interactions and mergers of other galaxies. Most, if not all of them began life as some other galaxy type.

Then through interactions with each other, they became distorted and lost some, if not all of their shape and features. Some may have been created simply by passing near another galaxy. The gravitational pull of the other galaxy would tug on it and warp its shape.

This will happen particularly if they pass near larger galaxies. This is likely what happened to the Magellanic Clouds , the smaller companions to the Milky Way. It appears that they were once small barred spirals.

Because of their close proximity to our galaxy, they were distorted by gravitational interactions into their current unusual shapes. Other irregular galaxies seem to have been created through mergers of galaxies. In a few billion years the Milky Way will merge with Andromeda galaxy.

During the initial time of the collision, the newly formed galaxy which is nicknamed "Milkdromeda" may look to be irregular as the gravity of each galaxy pulls on the other and stretches them like taffy. Then, after billions of years, they may eventually form an elliptical galaxy. Some researchers suspect that large irregular galaxies are an intermediate step between the merger of similarly sized spiral galaxies and their eventual final forms as elliptical galaxies.

The most likely scenario is that two spirals either mingle together or simply pass very near each other, resulting in changes to both partners in the "galactic dance". There is also a small population of irregulars that don't fit into other categories. These are companion galaxies to our own Milky Way , and can be easily seen at dark sites in the Southern Hemisphere. The Large left and Small right Magellanic clouds are prime examples of irregular galaxies. Elliptical : oval shaped, not quite a circle or a sphere Galaxy : a group of stars that are held together by gravity Irregular : having an atypical shape.

Star : a ball of hot, dense material held together by its own gravity Irregular galaxies are the most unusual of galaxies. Some irregular galaxies clearly look like two galaxies ran into each other!