Click to viewThe Pinwheel galaxy shimmers with life, but it’s surrounded by death. Those red and blue areas surrounding the galaxy are devoid of organics, otherwise known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which scientists believe are the building blocks of life, this new photo from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows. These “organics” diminish towards the outer portion of the galaxy, and then quickly drop off to nothing at the outer rim, destroyed by harsh radiation from stars. Click through to see a sunrise as photographed from the International Space Station.
Images by NASA/JPL-Caltech and AP/NASA. [JPL]
