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Collection:
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NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Andromeda Makes a Splash
Title
Andromeda Makes a Splash
Title
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Description:
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This infrared composite image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Andromeda galaxy, a neighbor to our Milky Way galaxy. The main image (top) highlights the contrast between the galaxy's choppy waves of dust (red) and smooth sea of older stars (blue). The panels below the main image show the galaxy's older stars (left) and dust (right) separately. Spiral galaxies tend to form new stars in their dusty, clumpy arms, while their cores are populated by older stars.
The Spitzer view also shows Andromeda's dust lanes twisting all the way into the center of the galaxy, a region that is crammed full of stars. In visible-light pictures, this central region tends to be dominated by starlight.
Astronomers used these new images to measure the total infrared brightness of Andromeda. Because the amount of infrared light given off by stars depends on their masses, the brightness measurements provided a novel method for "weighing" the Andromeda galaxy. According to this method, the mass of the stars in Andromeda is about110 billion times that of the sun, which is in agreement with past calculations. This means the galaxy contains about one trillion stars (because most stars are actually less massive than the sun). For comparison, the Milky Way is estimated to hold about 400 billion stars.
A small, companion galaxy called NGC 205 is visible above Andromeda. Another companion galaxy called M32 can also been seen below the galaxy.
The Andromeda galaxy, also known affectionately by astronomers as Messier 31, is located 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, making it the ideal specimen for carefully examining the nature of galaxies. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy can be spotted with the naked eye as a fuzzy blob.
Andromeda's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. When viewed from Earth, Andromeda occupies a portion of the sky equivalent to seven full moons.
Because this galaxy is so large, the infrared images had to be stitched together out of about 3,000 separate Spitzer exposures. The light detected by Spitzer's infrared array camera at 3.6 and 4.5 microns is sensitive mostly to starlight and is shown in blue and green, respectively. The 8-micron light shows warm dust and is shown in red. The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to better highlight the dust structures.
Description
This infrared composite image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Andromeda galaxy, a neighbor to our Milky Way galaxy. The main image (top) highlights the contrast between the galaxy's choppy waves of dust (red) and smooth sea of older stars (blue). The panels below the main image show the galaxy's older stars (left) and dust (right) separately. Spiral galaxies tend to form new stars in their dusty, clumpy arms, while their cores are populated by older stars.
The Spitzer view also shows Andromeda's dust lanes twisting all the way into the center of the galaxy, a region that is crammed full of stars. In visible-light pictures, this central region tends to be dominated by starlight.
Astronomers used these new images to measure the total infrared brightness of Andromeda. Because the amount of infrared light given off by stars depends on their masses, the brightness measurements provided a novel method for "weighing" the Andromeda galaxy. According to this method, the mass of the stars in Andromeda is about110 billion times that of the sun, which is in agreement with past calculations. This means the galaxy contains about one trillion stars (because most stars are actually less massive than the sun). For comparison, the Milky Way is estimated to hold about 400 billion stars.
A small, companion galaxy called NGC 205 is visible above Andromeda. Another companion galaxy called M32 can also been seen below the galaxy.
The Andromeda galaxy, also known affectionately by astronomers as Messier 31, is located 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, making it the ideal specimen for carefully examining the nature of galaxies. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy can be spotted with the naked eye as a fuzzy blob.
Andromeda's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. When viewed from Earth, Andromeda occupies a portion of the sky equivalent to seven full moons.
Because this galaxy is so large, the infrared images had to be stitched together out of about 3,000 separate Spitzer exposures. The light detected by Spitzer's infrared array camera at 3.6 and 4.5 microns is sensitive mostly to starlight and is shown in blue and green, respectively. The 8-micron light shows warm dust and is shown in red. The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to better highlight the dust structures.
Description
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Release Date:
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2006/06/05
Release_Date
2006/06/05
Release Date
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Press Release:
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Press_Release
Press Release
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Image Credit
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Object name:
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Messier 31
Object_name
Messier 31
Object name
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Object name:
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M31
Object_name
M31
Object name
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Object type:
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Spiral Galaxy
Object_type
Spiral Galaxy
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *00h42m44.30s *Dec: *41d16m9.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *00h42m44.30s *Dec: *41d16m9.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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780,000 pc; 2.5 million light-years
Distance
780,000 pc; 2.5 million light-years
Distance
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Constellation:
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Andromeda
Constellation
Andromeda
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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3.6 (Blue), 4.5 (Green), and 8.0 microns (Red)
Wavelength
3.6 (Blue), 4.5 (Green), and 8.0 microns (Red)
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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3.1 x 1.2 degrees
Image_scale
3.1 x 1.2 degrees
Image scale
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Observers:
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Pauline Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Steven P. Willner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Matthew L.N. Ashby (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
John P. Huchra (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Michael A. Pahre (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Luciana Bianchi (The Johns Hopkins University)
David A. Thilker (The Johns Hopkins University)
Charles W. Engelbracht (The University of Arizona)
Karl D. Gordon (The University of Arizona)
Joannah L. Hinz (The University of Arizona)
Pablo G. Pérez-González (The University of Arizona)
George H. Rieke (The University of Arizona)
Robert D. Gehrz (University of Minnesota)
Roberta M. Humphreys (University of Minnesota)
Elisha F. Polomski (University of Minnesota)
Charles E. Woodward (University of Minnesota)
Observers
Pauline Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Steven P. Willner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Matthew L.N. Ashby (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
John P. Huchra (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Michael A. Pahre (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Luciana Bianchi (The Johns Hopkins University)
David A. Thilker (The Johns Hopkins University)
Charles W. Engelbracht (The University of Arizona)
Karl D. Gordon (The University of Arizona)
Joannah L. Hinz (The University of Arizona)
Pablo G. Pérez-González (The University of Arizona)
George H. Rieke (The University of Arizona)
Robert D. Gehrz (University of Minnesota)
Roberta M. Humphreys (University of Minnesota)
Elisha F. Polomski (University of Minnesota)
Charles E. Woodward (University of Minnesota)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
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Exposure Date:
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2005 January 19-21; 2005 August 18-19
Exposure_Date
2005 January 19-21; 2005 August 18-19
Exposure Date
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Exposure Time:
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62-106 seconds
Exposure_Time
62-106 seconds
Exposure Time
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Orientation:
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North is 50 degrees CCW from up
Orientation
North is 50 degrees CCW from up
Orientation
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note:
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*Stars and Dust (best resolution)* Screen-Resolution (450x151): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-14a1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (14772x4953): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
note
*Stars and Dust (best resolution)* Screen-Resolution (450x151): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-14a1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (14772x4953): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) note
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note:
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*Stars (best resolution)* Screen-Resolution (450x151): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-14a2_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (14772x4953): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
note
*Stars (best resolution)* Screen-Resolution (450x151): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-14a2_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (14772x4953): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) note
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note:
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*Dust (best resolution)* Screen-Resolution (450x151): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-14a3_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (14772x4953): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
note
*Dust (best resolution)* Screen-Resolution (450x151): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-14a3_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (14772x4953): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Barmby (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) note
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facet_what:
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Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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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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Andromeda
facet_what
Andromeda
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Beam
facet_what
Beam
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Minnesota
facet_where
Minnesota
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Arizona
facet_where
Arizona
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Andromeda Galaxy
facet_where
Andromeda Galaxy
facet_where
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facet_where:
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M31
facet_where
M31
facet_where
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facet_where:
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M32
facet_where
M32
facet_where
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facet_where:
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NGC 205
facet_where
NGC 205
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
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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Image #:
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ssc2006-14a
Image_#
ssc2006-14a
Image #
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-SPITZ-ssc2006-14 a
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2006-14 a
UID
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