Most of us are consumed by our busy daily lives and rarely remember to “stop and smell the roses”.  It would also be fair to say that we hardly ever look up at the night sky.  Galaxies upon galaxies, spin, burst, collect and create new stars far above our heads.  The majority of us have no idea how many galaxies have been seen and recorded.  Thanks to the Hubble telescope and deticated scientists, we are able to view pictures of far off galaxies beyond our own.  Some are closer than you think, though millions of light years is beyond our means of travel, it is minimal in space time.  Most galaxies are listed as NGC, which means New General Catalog, as a way of cataloging new galaxies that are discovered. 

Here are a few spectacular examples of what lies beyond.

NGC4945, looking like a flattened dust ball floating in space, is about 13 million light years away from us.

A small galaxy, NGC 1705 is illuminated with thousands of young stars.  It is called a dwarf irregular galaxy due to it’s small size and lack of shape.  It lies about 17 million light years away from earth.

M104/Messier104 The Sombrero Galaxy has been called the most stately and photogenic of the galaxies.  Named for it’s sombrero like shape, it is 28 million light years away, but can be seen with a small telescope.  It sits at the edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies.  It shines with the brightness of 800 billion suns.

There are unique galaxies that don’t seem to fit the “normal” mold that scientist have developed over the years, which is good for them, it helps them understand how things work. 

The NGC4650A, the Polar-ring galaxy.  Scientists believe that a collision with another galaxy created this beautiful site.  Though far reaching at 130 million light years, the Hubble telescope captured this astonishing form.

NGC 4622 gives scientists pause for thought,as this large galaxy seems to rotate in the opposite direction.  This magnificent galaxy spins 111 million light years away from our world, in the constellation Centaurus.

There are so many amazing galaxies out there, you might be surprised at what you find.  Try looking up “other galaxies”, It may just open up a whole new world and you may never look at the night sky the same way again.