Explanation:
Barred spiral galaxy M95
is about 75,000 light-years across,
comparable in size to our own Milky Way and one of the larger
galaxies of the
Leo I
galaxy group.
In fact, it is part of a not quite so famous
trio of Leo galaxies with
neighbors M96 and M105, about 38 million light-years distant.
In this sharp and
colorful cosmic portrait,
a bright, compact ring of star formation surrounds the
galaxy's core.
Surrounding the prominent yellowish bar are tightly wound
spiral arms traced by dust lanes, young blue star clusters, and
telltale pinkish star forming regions.
As a bonus,
follow along the spiral arm
unwinding down and to the right
and you'll soon get to M95's latest supernova
SN 2012aw, discovered on March 16 and now identified
as the explosion of a
massive star.
A good target for small telescopes, the supernova stands out in
this video feature
(vimeo) comparing the recent image with
a deep image of M95 without supernova taken in 2009.
