GALEX Greatest Hits

It has been a while since I've had a post on a space topic, but the news this week that NASA has decommissioned the Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft (GALEX) after a decade of operation affords me such an opportunity. Once again, a program designed around a 29-month mission far exceeded its original scope, operating a full ten years first under NASA, and then under Caltech in Pasadena.

GALEX indeed contributed significantly to our knowledge of astronomical phenomena:

Some of the mission's highlights include helping astronomers identify the largest known spiral galaxy in the universe, a behemoth called NGC 6872; catching a black hole in the act of gobbling up a star; and discovering a missing link in galaxy evolution, a sort of "teenage stage" between young and old.

GALEX observations also independently confirmed the nature of dark energy, the mysterious force thought to be causing the accelerating expansion of the universe, NASA officials said.

During its year in Caltech's hands, GALEX searched the sky for feeding black holes and the shock waves from long-ago star explosions, or supernovae. Among other tasks, the ultraviolet telescope also monitored how the bright, active centers of galaxies change over time.

Some of GALEX's greatest hits can be found on nasa.gov. They can also be found here. Below are some of my favorites (click to enlarge). Wonderful.

M31 - The Milky Way's Largest Galactic Neighbor (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Cygnus Loop Nebula (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

CW Leo - The Runaway Star (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

I love this stuff.