FOR RELEASE: 9:20 a.m. CST, January 16, 1996


FIGURE CAPTIONS:

• The photograph shows blue-light CCD images of six of the overlapping pairs of galaxies used in this investigation of whether spiral galaxies are transparent or opaque. The image of AM 1316-241 (upper left) illustrates most obviously the conclusions of this study: spiral arms are opaque, but the regions between spiral arms are nearly transparent. The foreground arm in AM 1316-241 blocks the light of the background elliptical galaxy, while the regions just within arm allow the elliptical to be seen clearly. The other galaxy pairs in the photograph also show this general behavior. These images, taken with the 1.5-meter telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, near La Serena, Chile and the 2.1-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, near Tucson, Arizona, were presented to the American Astronomical Society meeting in San Antonio, TX on January 16, 1996. Individual system details follow:
  • AM 1316-241 is 410 million light years away in the constellation of Hydra.
    
  • AM 0500-620 is 370 million light years away in the constellation of Dorado.
    
  • AM 1311-455 is 130 million light years away in the constellation of Centaurus.
    
  • NGC 1738 is 170 million light years away in the constellation of Lepus.
    
  • UGC 2942 is 280 million light years away in the constellation of Taurus.
    
  • NGC 3314 is 125 million light years away in the constellation of Hydra.