|
Collection:
|
|
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
|
|
Title:
|
|
A Stellar Ripple
Title
A Stellar Ripple
Title
|
|
Original Caption Released with Image:
|
|
This false-color composite image shows the Cartwheel galaxy as seen by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer's far ultraviolet detector (blue); the Hubble Space Telescope's wide field and planetary camera 2 in B-band visible light (green); the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared array camera at 8 microns (red); and the Chandra X-ray Observatory's advanced CCD imaging spectrometer-S array instrument (purple).
Approximately 100 million years ago, a smaller galaxy plunged through the heart of Cartwheel galaxy, creating ripples of brief star formation. In this image, the first ripple appears as an ultraviolet-bright blue outer ring. The blue outer ring is so powerful in the Galaxy Evolution Explorer observations that it indicates the Cartwheel is one of the most powerful UV-emitting galaxies in the nearby universe. The blue color reveals to astronomers that associations of stars 5 to 20 times as massive as our sun are forming in this region. The clumps of pink along the outer blue ring are regions where both X-rays and ultraviolet radiation are superimposed in the image. These X-ray point sources are very likely collections of binary star systems containing a blackhole (called massive X-ray binary systems). The X-ray sources seem to cluster around optical/ultraviolet- bright supermassive star clusters.
The yellow-orange inner ring and nucleus at the center of the galaxy result from the combination of visible and infrared light, which is stronger towards the center. This region of the galaxy represents the second ripple, or ring wave, created in the collision, but has much less star formation activity than the first (outer) ring wave. The wisps of red spread throughout the interior of the galaxy are organic molecules that have been illuminated by nearby low-level star formation. Meanwhile, the tints of green are less massive, older visible-light stars.
Although astronomers have not identified exactly which galaxy collided with the Cartwheel, two of three candidate galaxies can be seen in this image to the bottom left of the ring, one as a neon blob and the other as a green spiral.
Previously, scientists believed the ring marked the outermost edge of the galaxy, but the latest GALEX observations detect a faint disk, not visible in this image, that extends to twice the diameter of the ring.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
This false-color composite image shows the Cartwheel galaxy as seen by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer's far ultraviolet detector (blue); the Hubble Space Telescope's wide field and planetary camera 2 in B-band visible light (green); the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared array camera at 8 microns (red); and the Chandra X-ray Observatory's advanced CCD imaging spectrometer-S array instrument (purple).
Approximately 100 million years ago, a smaller galaxy plunged through the heart of Cartwheel galaxy, creating ripples of brief star formation. In this image, the first ripple appears as an ultraviolet-bright blue outer ring. The blue outer ring is so powerful in the Galaxy Evolution Explorer observations that it indicates the Cartwheel is one of the most powerful UV-emitting galaxies in the nearby universe. The blue color reveals to astronomers that associations of stars 5 to 20 times as massive as our sun are forming in this region. The clumps of pink along the outer blue ring are regions where both X-rays and ultraviolet radiation are superimposed in the image. These X-ray point sources are very likely collections of binary star systems containing a blackhole (called massive X-ray binary systems). The X-ray sources seem to cluster around optical/ultraviolet- bright supermassive star clusters.
The yellow-orange inner ring and nucleus at the center of the galaxy result from the combination of visible and infrared light, which is stronger towards the center. This region of the galaxy represents the second ripple, or ring wave, created in the collision, but has much less star formation activity than the first (outer) ring wave. The wisps of red spread throughout the interior of the galaxy are organic molecules that have been illuminated by nearby low-level star formation. Meanwhile, the tints of green are less massive, older visible-light stars.
Although astronomers have not identified exactly which galaxy collided with the Cartwheel, two of three candidate galaxies can be seen in this image to the bottom left of the ring, one as a neon blob and the other as a green spiral.
Previously, scientists believed the ring marked the outermost edge of the galaxy, but the latest GALEX observations detect a faint disk, not visible in this image, that extends to twice the diameter of the ring.
Original Caption Released with Image
|
|
Image Credit:
|
|
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image Credit
|
|
Produced By:
|
|
California Institute of Technology
Produced_By
California Institute of Technology
Produced By
|
|
Mission:
|
|
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Mission
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Mission
|
|
Mission:
|
|
Spitzer Space Telescope (SST)
Mission
Spitzer Space Telescope (SST)
Mission
|
|
Mission:
|
|
Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
Mission
Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
Mission
|
|
Spacecraft:
|
|
GALEX Orbiter
Spacecraft
GALEX Orbiter
Spacecraft
|
|
Spacecraft:
|
|
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Spacecraft
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Spacecraft
|
|
Spacecraft:
|
|
Spitzer Space Telescope (SST)
Spacecraft
Spitzer Space Telescope (SST)
Spacecraft
|
|
Target Name:
|
|
Cartwheel Galaxy
Target_Name
Cartwheel Galaxy
Target Name
|
|
Instrument:
|
|
GALEX Telescope
Instrument
GALEX Telescope
Instrument
|
|
Instrument:
|
|
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Instrument
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Instrument
|
|
Instrument:
|
|
Visible Light
Instrument
Visible Light
Instrument
|
|
Instrument:
|
|
Chandra X-ray Telescope
Instrument
Chandra X-ray Telescope
Instrument
|
|
Product Size:
|
|
1500 samples x 1500 lines
Product_Size
1500 samples x 1500 lines
Product Size
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Spectrometer
facet_what
Spectrometer
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Visible Light
facet_what
Visible Light
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Camera 2
facet_what
Camera 2
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
SST
facet_what
SST
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Explorer
facet_what
Explorer
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Galaxy Evolution Explorer
facet_what
Galaxy Evolution Explorer
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
GALEX
facet_what
GALEX
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
GALEX Orbiter
facet_what
GALEX Orbiter
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
GALEX Telescope
facet_what
GALEX Telescope
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Chandra X-Ray Telescope (CXC)
facet_what
Chandra X-Ray Telescope (CXC)
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO)
facet_what
Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO)
facet_what
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
California
facet_where
California
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
|
|
Image #:
|
|
PIA03296
|
|
UID:
|
|
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA03296
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA03296
UID
|
|
orignial url:
|
orignial_url
orignial url
|
