Title

Fireworks Galaxy

Creator

Marco Ciocca, Eastern Kentucky UniversityFollow

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Description

NGC 6946 has also a nickname: The Fireworks Galaxy. I wonder if it is because of its shape, as it looks like a pinwheel. The nickname "pinwheel" is already taken however (Messier 101, a few pictures before this one) so the name Fireworks is now used. As galaxies go, it is rather close at 23 Million Light years. Perhaps the name "Fireworks" is used because of the many supernovae (10 in the last century) that were observed in it. Whatever the reason, here's a rendition of the Fireworks Galaxy from the EKU's Observatory.

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