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Collection:
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Collection
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Collection
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Title:
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M101: An Ultraviolet View
Title
M101: An Ultraviolet View
Title
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Explanation:
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This picture of giant spiral galaxy Messier 101 (M101) [ http://www.seds.org…] was taken by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope [ http://hypatia.gsfc…] (UIT). UIT [ http://hypatia.gsfc…] flew into orbit as part of the Astro 2 mission [ http://www.ksc.nasa…] on-board the Space Shuttle Endeavour in March 1995. The image has been processed [ http://trifle.gsfc.…] so that the colors (dark purple through white) represent an increasing intensity of ultraviolet light [ http://imagine.gsfc…emspectrum.html ]. Pictures of galaxies like this one show mainly clouds of gas containing newly formed stars many times more massive than the sun, which glow strongly in the ultraviolet. In contrast, visible light pictures of galaxies [ http://www.seds.org…] tend to be dominated by the yellow and red light of older stars. Ultraviolet light [ http://titan.srrb.n…], invisible to the human eye, is blocked by ozone in the atmosphere [ http://jwocky.gsfc.…] so ultraviolet pictures of celestial objects must be taken from space. M101 is a mere 22 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major [ http://www.seds.org…]. Its popular moniker is the Pinwheel Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…].
Explanation
This picture of giant spiral galaxy Messier 101 (M101) [ http://www.seds.org…] was taken by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope [ http://hypatia.gsfc…] (UIT). UIT [ http://hypatia.gsfc…] flew into orbit as part of the Astro 2 mission [ http://www.ksc.nasa…] on-board the Space Shuttle Endeavour in March 1995. The image has been processed [ http://trifle.gsfc.…] so that the colors (dark purple through white) represent an increasing intensity of ultraviolet light [ http://imagine.gsfc…emspectrum.html ]. Pictures of galaxies like this one show mainly clouds of gas containing newly formed stars many times more massive than the sun, which glow strongly in the ultraviolet. In contrast, visible light pictures of galaxies [ http://www.seds.org…] tend to be dominated by the yellow and red light of older stars. Ultraviolet light [ http://titan.srrb.n…], invisible to the human eye, is blocked by ozone in the atmosphere [ http://jwocky.gsfc.…] so ultraviolet pictures of celestial objects must be taken from space. M101 is a mere 22 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major [ http://www.seds.org…]. Its popular moniker is the Pinwheel Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Explanation
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Credit and Copyright:
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Credit_and_Copyright
Credit and Copyright
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keyword:
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spiral galaxy
keyword
spiral galaxy
keyword
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keyword:
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ultraviolet
keyword
ultraviolet
keyword
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keyword:
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m101
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facet_when:
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March 1995
facet_when
March 1995
facet_when
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facet_where:
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M101
facet_where
M101
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Pinwheel Galaxy
facet_where
Pinwheel Galaxy
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Titan
facet_what
Titan
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Visible Light
facet_what
Visible Light
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Ursa Major
facet_what
Ursa Major
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Astro 2
facet_what
Astro 2
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Space Shuttle Endeavour
facet_what
Space Shuttle Endeavour
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Space Shuttle Orbiter
facet_what
Space Shuttle Orbiter
facet_what
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facet_when_year:
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1995
facet_when_year
1995
facet_when_year
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-APOD-ap000610
UID
SPD-APOD-ap000610
UID
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