NGC 5068, SINGG Survey

Gas-rich galaxies display a wide range of structures and properties, but one thing they all seem to have are some newly formed stars. Images from the Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SINGG), an NOAO Survey Program (obtained with the CTIO 1.5m telescope), are designed to highlight areas of star formation in gas rich galaxies. This image shows the spiral galaxy NGC5068. The disks of these classic galaxies (what one usually thinks of when hearing the word), form when the gas in the system collapses. IN many cases, a strong spiral pattern is caused by a density wave in the disk which enhances star formation along the arms resulting in a grand design spiral. In other cases, such as with this galaxy, the star formation is more random resulting in a spiral galaxy with bold flocculent HII regions. Gerhardt Meurer of The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, is the principal investigator for SINGG. For more information, see: http://sungg.pha.jhu.edu/