Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
Bright Spiral Galaxy M81 from Hubble
Explanation:
The Hubble Space Telescope has resolved individual stars in a spectacular new image of nearby spiral galaxy M81. The feat is similar to Edwin Hubble [ http://en.wikipedia…]'s historic images with the Mt. Wilson 100-inch Hooker Telescope [ http://en.wikipedia…] in the 1920s that resolved stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in neighboring galaxy M31 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Edwin Hubble [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] was able to use individual Cepheid variable stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] to show that M31 was not nearby swirling gas but rather an entire galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] like our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. This above image [ http://www.cfa.harv…] in visible light [ http://science.hq.n…] taken by the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://www.stsci.ed…] is being used in conjunction with images [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] being taken in ultraviolet [ http://science.hq.n…] by Galex [ http://en.wikipedia…], infrared by Spitzer [ http://en.wikipedia…], and X-rays [ http://science.hq.n…] with Chandra [ http://en.wikipedia…] to study how stars have formed and died over the history M81. Light takes about 12 million years [ http://starchild.gs…] to reach us from M81. M81 [ http://seds.org/mes…] is visible with binoculars toward the constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Major [ http://www.astronom…]).
Credit and Copyright:
NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/], ESA [ http://www.esa.int/], and the Hubble Heritage Team [ http://heritage.sts…] (STScI [ http://www.stsci.ed…]/AURA [ http://www.aura-ast…])
facet_where:
Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where:
M31
facet_where:
M81
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_what:
Aura
facet_what:
Visible Light
facet_what:
Ursa Major
facet_what:
GALEX
facet_what:
spiral galaxy
facet_what:
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap070529

Bright Spiral Galaxy M81 from Hubble
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