The polls
are closed and the votes are tallied: The public has decided to aim the Hubble Space Telescope
at a pair of merging galaxies and take a snapshot of the cosmic smashup.
Out of the
140,000 votes in an online NASA contest, a pair of interacting galaxies known
collectively as Arp 274 beat five other astronomical contenders as the people's
choice for the iconic observatory's next target. Voting ending on March 1.
Arp 274 weighed
in with a hefty 67,021 votes to top the polls of NASA's "Hubble,
You Decide" contest, which allowed the public to pick one of six astronomical
candidates as part of the ongoing International
Year of Astronomy. Hubble will turn its camera eye on Arp 274 between April
2 and April 5 during the International Year of Astronomy's "100
Hours of Astronomy" to generate a high-resolution, full-color image that will
be released to its eager public.
The two
spiral galaxies that make up Arp 274 are being drawn together by gravity. While
their spiral shapes are intact for the most part, there is some evidence of gravitational
distortions within them as they gradually merge together.
Astronomers
expect to see elegant lanes of interstellar dust, stars and bright blue
clusters of baby stars in Hubble's new view of Arp 274.
NASA
launched the Hubble Space Telescope in April 1990. Since then, the observatory
has spent nearly 19 years scanning the depths of the universe and returning
stunning views to scientists and the public on Earth.
Four NASA space
shuttle crews have visited the space telescope to make repairs and upgrades
during its orbital life. The fifth
and last overhaul for Hubble is currently slated to launch on May 12. That
mission includes five spacewalks aimed at extending Hubble's lifetime through
at least 2013.
Click here or visit the following
Web site to see the final ballot count for Arp 274 votes and its five
contenders: http://YouDecide.Hubblesite.org
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