Heritage team member Anne Kinney invited colleagues to participate in this special component of the Hubble Heritage Project. They were instrumental in selecting the 3 edge-on galaxies which 8000 people voted on between January 6 and February 14, 1999. These guest observers helped aim the telescope at the winning polar-ring galaxy, NGC 4650A, by working out many of the technical details. (Some challenges of aiming the telescope are described by P.C. Mike Asbury.) This science team is currently doing the scientific analysis of these data and their results will be posted as soon as they are available. The Hubble Heritage asked the NGC 4650A science team to introduce themselves to you.

Our polar ring Heritage science team shares common interests in the origins and evolutionary processes in galaxies. Within this general area we have different specialities. For example, Gallagher and Matthews work with images to measure structures of galaxies, Kinney focuses on interpreting the spectra produced by stars and other processes in galaxies, while Sparke is a theorist who seeks to understand the way that gravity acts to produce the observed structures and motions in galaxies. We also share connections to Wisconsin, and our group enjoys gathering on the shores of Lake Mendota in Madison.