High Scientist: Lenticular Galaxy in Virgo

I was cruising phys.org, one of my favorite science news sites, and saw this story about the sighting of a lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Virgo (see above). Virgo is the largest constellation of the Zodiac and houses just a ton of galaxies. This galaxy, lovingly named the warm and fuzzy NGC 4866 (though, if I was tasked with naming all the discovered galaxies, I would just barcode those bastards, there are too many!), was tucked away, hiding in The Virgin.

A lenticular galaxy is classified as somewhere between an elliptical and and a spiral galaxy and are hard to spot as they are often mistaken for one of the other types. I am not anywhere near smart enough in physics to explain why the lenticular shape appears, but it has something to do with a weakening of gravity and a slowing of star formation. I encourage you to research this further if it perks your mental coffee.

Lenticular galaxies got me thinking about lenticular clouds, which most often appear on mountain tops and are commonly referred to as UFO clouds (some people even thought that the lenticular cloud was some sort of concealing mechanism designed to mask the presence of alien ships). I have been obsessed with lenticular clouds ever since I was a kid and saw one hovering over Mt. Rainier.

Multi-Tiered Beauty

Remembering the lenticular clouds led my thoughts to the similarity of shape, appearance and movement at vastly different scales (think soapy water going down your drain, it looks an awful lot like a hurricane from space, which looks an awful lot like a spiral galaxy; or look at a satellite image of a rain forest, then stand over a moss covered stone and tell me it doesn’t look the same). And, of course, thinking about this similarity of form at different scales eventually landed me on fractals.

A fractal is a mathematical construct that is virtually identical at any scale. The common image for this is to have a fractal image under a perpetually zooming lens (above).

Some out there believe that fractals provide the best scientific rationale for the existence of a god-being, seeing humans as fractal images of god. I see them more as a harmonizing point between the sacred and the profane (here meaning non-sacred, not offensive), between the brain and the spirit. In my little stoned heart, I like to believe that we are all part of the same thing, just unconscious of our similarites and inter-connectedness.

Bet you didn’t expect to hear something like that from a yoga teacher, right?!

Share your thoughts, Weedists, be they lenticular, elliptical, or spiral in nature.

Check out other posts from Weedist’s High Scientist series!