Messier 63: The Sunflower Galaxy

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:01 am

An Astronomer wrote:The Sunflower Galaxy, M63 sports a bright yellowish core and sweeping blue spiral arms...

Obviously they've never seen a sunflower.

kennychaffin · Post by **kennychaffin** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:35 am

Yeah, kinda what I was thinking, maybe kind of an inverse sunflower.

Great image though!

KAC

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:41 am

/obligatory

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:25 am

Reminds me of a Rose Rock (official state rock of Oklahoma):

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:42 am

It's not supposed to be taken as literally looking like a sunflower. Rather, it is an oblique reference to the seedy neighbourhood where the galaxy is to be found, and the gang it belongs to.

djm

Caroluna · Post by **Caroluna** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:08 am

I think they are referring to the central, spiral part of the sunflower.
(I found this picture in Wiki under Fibonacci sequence!)

See? doesn't it match nicely?

of course, then the greatest force of galactic destruction would be...this

kennychaffin · Post by **kennychaffin** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:09 am

Is that a black-hole chickadee?

KAC

Ronbo · Post by **Ronbo** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:08 pm

kennychaffin wrote:Is that a black-hole chickadee?

KAC

It's gotta be. Look at all the stars swirling around its beady little eyes.

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:27 pm

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:43 pm

I thought it was the goldfinch of the apocalypse.
Tom

Caroluna · Post by **Caroluna** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:12 am

Tom's right! It's a goldfinch. At this size they're not so cataclysmic.

from Wiki Commons

kennychaffin · Post by **kennychaffin** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:52 am

Caroluna wrote:Tom's right! It's a goldfinch. At this size they're not so cataclysmic.

Yeah I know, here's a shot I took:

http://www.kacweb.com/cgibin/emAlbum.cg ... img=0&tn=1

KAC

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:19 pm

Thank goodness . . . a cheerful thread.

That thing is quite a nice match for my chapeau.

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:51 pm

Lambchop wrote:Thank goodness . . . a cheerful thread.

There once was a goldfinchy thread
with much needed surcease from dread
'til Tom pointed out
that without a doubt
Someday this cute bird will be dead.

YES! I FINALLY came up with a sad one!!!