Seeing Double: Spitzer Captures Our Galaxy's Twin
What would our Milky Way galaxy look like if we could travel outside it and snap a picture? It might look a lot like a new image by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of a spiral galaxy called NGC 7331 - a virtual twin of our Milky Way.
The picture, which can be viewed at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06322, shows our twin as never before. Its swirling arms spin outward from a central bulge of light, which is outlined by a ring of actively forming stars.
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