DOE/Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Shown here is the elliptical galaxy NGC 474 with star shells. Elliptical galaxies are characterized by their relatively smooth appearance as compared with spiral galaxies, one of which is to the left of NGC 474, which is oriented with South to the top and West to the left. The colorful neighboring spiral (NGC 470) has characteristic flocculent structure interwoven with dust lanes and spiral arms. NGC 474 is at a distance of about 31 megaparsecs (100 million light-years) from the sun in the constellation of Pisces. The region surrounding NGC 474 shows unusual structures characterized as tidal tails or shells of stars made up of hundreds of millions of stars. These features are likely due to recent (within the last billion years) mergers of smaller galaxies into the main body of NGC 474 or close passages of nearby galaxies, such as the NGC 470 spiral. For coordinate information, visit the NOIRLab webpage for this photo. (Photo: DES/NOIRLab
Class of 2021: Seniors Forced to Make College Decisions via Virtual Tours
on graduating high school seniors.
The senior year of high school is supposed to consist of prom and in-person graduation. Instead, most seniors are confined to their bedrooms doing school work for eight hours to turn around and work on college applications in hopes of a fresh start and a better school year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered many opportunities for high school seniors looking to apply for college including canceled college tours and standardized tests.
“You basically log off the computer after being on it for seven hours a day, and then it’s like I have to get the computer for three more hours to write an application essay or even research schools,” said Miranda Zanca, from Lincoln Park High School in Chicago.
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Volunteer Hanna Braaksma and biologist Dayna Schneider monitor a wild pig within a fence. Pigs are trapped via remote cell-phone powered trap cameras. University of Illinois employees help Army civilians monitor traps.
Photo by Scott Summers, DPW Natural and Cultural Resources
Photo by Gil Eckrich DPW Natural and Cultural Resources volunteer
Photo by Gil Eckrich DPW Natural and Cultural Resources volunteer
Photo by Scott Summers, DPW Natural and Cultural Resources