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Dear Sami & Aviva Ofer,
Congratulations on having a galaxy named after you!
Your galaxy, NGC 507, is located in the constellation Pisces. Its coordinates on the celestial grid are: 1 hours and 23.7 minutes of Right Ascension and + 33 degrees and 15 minutes of Declination. Give these coordinates to any observatory and they can locate Galaxy Sami & Aviva Ofer for you. Your galaxy is best seen during the Fall season.
Of course, we will show it to you in person when you visit Windowpane Observatory. Although you cannot see your galaxy with the naked eye, you can show people where it is in the sky.
Your galaxy is an E type which means that it's an elliptical galaxy like our sister galaxy Andromeda. Its size is 4.0 by 4.0 arc minutes in the telescope. It's brightness is 13th magnitude. It contains at least 8 billion stars although no one has counted them yet.
Your galaxy is an island universe. In other words, it is a microcosm of what's happening in the universe at large. Did you know that a mini big-bang happens in your galaxy from time to time? When a star explodes in your galaxy sometimes it becomes a supernova. This implosion/explosion duplicates the primal forces of the space-time continuum that occurred when the whole universe was formed. If a supernova is discovered in your galaxy, the largest telescopes on planet earth will turn towards your galaxy. It will be front-page astronomical news!
Your galaxy may have a black hole at its center. A black hole is a gravitational well so powerful that even light can't escape. This means astronomers can't actually see black holes but suspect their existence by the behavior of celestial objects near them.
If you would like to learn more about galaxies or astronomy, we recommend the book Galaxies by Timothy Ferris, published by the Sierra Club. Also, don't forget to visit our web site, www.WindowpaneObservatory.com. It is filled with fascinating information about astronomy. Most importantly, our web site has archived your galaxy in our Internet Galaxy Registry, which will document this information for all beings and for all time.
And when you're ready to visit us, don't forget to call us far in advance so that it's the right time of year and time is available at Windowpane Observatory. Present this letter on arrival and the adventure begins!
You now have a place in the universe, Sami & Aviva Ofer. A galaxy named after you. Who knows, your children's children's children may visit there in some future time.
Wishing you clear skies!
William I. Georgevich
Director, Windowpane Observatory
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