In the November 2008 issue of Astronomy, I wrote a story called “The northern sky’s top 10 galaxies.” At the end of the report, I invited readers to submit their favorite galaxies or to comment on my list. I’ve received a couple of responses so far.
Science writer John Mood suggested five of his favorite galaxies that I hadn’t listed:
Pinwheel Galaxy (M33)
Virgo A (M87)
Sombrero Galaxy (M104)
Black Eye Galaxy (M64)
3C–273
Lucky for me, M104 lies below the celestial equator (making it a southern galaxy), and, as John noted in his e-mail, 3C–273 is a quasar. But I get the idea, and these galaxies are all great choices. Hmm, perhaps I should follow up with a story about the southern sky’s top 10 galaxies.
Another respondent, M. Tanner, says he’d move the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) — my #4 — up to the top spot. And, like John, he also added the Pinwheel Galaxy to the list.
Well, I can’t argue any of these selections. All I can say is that the story included my personal top 10 — born out of many years during which I repeatedly observed these celestial wonders. Besides, I didn’t have to wait for e-mails. Internal critics of my list appeared immediately: At the planning meeting where I presented the story idea, two other editors asked, “Wait, you mean the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is NOT #1???”
Ha! I wonder what they’d think if they knew the Orion Nebula (M42) wasn’t my favorite nebula? Ah, but that’s another story.
Editor’s note: Astronomy.com did an online poll a few weeks ago to see what your favorite galaxy is — Andromeda, Whirlpool, Bode’s, or Cigar. Fifty-one percent of you chose Andromeda. Whirlpool came in second with 26 percent. Bode’s and Cigar followed.