Galaxy NGC 3156 caught by the Hubble SpaceTelescope Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, R. Sharples, S. Kaviraj, W. Keel
This dream-like < period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>Hubble Space Telescope</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as Hubble or HST) is one of NASA's Great Observatories and was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990. It is one of the largest and most versatile space telescopes in use and features a 2.4-meter mirror and four main instruments that observe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It was named after astronomer Edwin Hubble.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" >HubbleSpaceTelescope Picture of theWeek includes the galaxy called NGC3156It is a lenticular galaxy, suggesting that it falls someplace in between an elliptical and a spiral nebula.It lies about73 million light-years fromEarth, in the small equatorial constellationSextans
TheHistoricalSignificance ofSextans
(***************************************************************************************************************************************** )is a little constellation that comes from theHercules household of constellations.(***************************************************************************************************************************************************** )itself is a constellation with a huge style, being called for the instrument called the sextant. Sextants are typically considered navigational instruments that were created in the 18 th century. However, the sextant as a huge tool has actually been around for a lot longer than that: Islamic scholars established huge sextants lots of centuries previously in order to determine angles in the sky.
The Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand,Uzbekistan Built by the Timurid astronomer UlughBeg Credit: ESA
An especially striking example is the huge sextant with a radius of 36 meters that was established by Ulugh Beg of the Timurid dynasty in the fifteenth century, situated in Samarkand in contemporaryUzbekistan These early sextants might have been an advancement of the quadrant, a determining gadget proposed byPtolemy A sextant, as the name recommends, is formed like one-sixth of a circle, around the shape of the constellation.
Modern Astronomy and NGC 3156
Sextants are no longer in usage in modern-day astronomy, having actually been changed by instruments that can determining the positions of stars and huge items a lot more properly and exactly. NGC 3156 has actually been studied in lots of methods besides identifying its exact position– from its mate of globular clusters, to its fairly current star development, to the stars that are being ruined by the supermassive great void at its center.
A sextant is a navigational instrument utilized to determine the angle in between a celestial item and the horizon, helping in identifying one’s latitude throughout marine and aerial navigation.
More About Sextants
A sextant is a navigational instrument utilized mainly to determine the angle in between a celestial item and the horizon, helping in marine and aerial navigation. This accuracy tool, which is formed like one-sixth of a circle, makes use of a little telescope and reflective mirrors. By observing the elevation of stars, the sun, or the moon, mariners and pilots can identify their latitude, and often their longitude, with regard to the Earth’s surface area. Historically, the sextant has actually contributed for explorers and navigators, allowing them to chart their courses properly over huge, unmarked areas of ocean or air.
