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Dwarf Galaxies Swimming in T
…
| Title |
Dwarf Galaxies Swimming in Tidal Tails |
| Description |
This false-color infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows little "dwarf galaxies" forming in the "tails" of two larger galaxies that are colliding together. The big galaxies are at the center of the picture, while the dwarfs can be seen as red dots in the red streamers, or tidal tails. The two blue dots above the big galaxies are stars in the foreground. Galaxy mergers are common occurrences in the universe, for example, our own Milky Way galaxy will eventually smash into the nearby Andromeda galaxy. When two galaxies meet, they tend to rip each other apart, leaving a trail, called a tidal tail, of gas and dust in their wake. It is out of this galactic debris that new dwarf galaxies are born. The new Spitzer picture demonstrates that these particular dwarfs are actively forming stars. The red color indicates the presence of dust produced in star-forming regions, including organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. PAHs are also found on Earth, in car exhaust and on burnt toast, among other places. Here, the PAHs are being heated up by the young stars, and, as a result, shine in infrared light. This image was taken by the infrared array camera on Spitzer. It is a 4-color composite of infrared light, showing emissions from wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange), and 8.0 microns (red). Starlight has been subtracted from the orange and red channels in order to enhance the dust, or PAH, features. |
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Fade to Red
| Title |
Fade to Red |
| Description |
This animation shows the Andromeda galaxy, first as seen in visible light by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, then as seen in infrared by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The visible-light image highlights the galaxy's population of about one trillion stars. The stars are so crammed into its core that this region blazes with bright starlight. In contrast, the false-colored Spitzer view reveals red waves of dust against a more tranquil sea of blue stars. The dust lanes can be seen twirling all the way into the galaxy's center. This dust is warmed by young stars and shines at infrared wavelengths , which are represented in red. The blue color signifies shorter-wavelength infrared light primarily from older stars. 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. |
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Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| 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. |
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Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| 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. |
|
Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| 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. |
|
Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| 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. |
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Optical Image of Andromeda G
…
| Name |
Optical Image of Andromeda Galaxy (M31) |
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Hubble Sees Early Building B
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Early Building Blocks of Today's Galaxies |
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Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Discovers Black Holes
…
| Title |
Hubble Discovers Black Holes in Unexpected Places |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Deepest View of Space Yields
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| Title |
Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo |
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Deepest View of Space Yields
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| Title |
Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo |
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Hubble Finds Mysterious Disk
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| Title |
Hubble Finds Mysterious Disk of Blue Stars Around Black Hole |
|
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection
…
| Title |
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection: From the EUVI to HI-2 |
| Abstract |
This movie collects imagery from SOHO and STEREO-A of a coronal mass ejection (CME) during January of 2007. The instruments in this view, from left to right, are STEREO/HI-1, STEREO/HI-2, SOHO/LASCO/C3, SOHO/LASCO/C2, and STEREO/EUVI. The Heliospheric Imager, HI-2, shows some of the tail of comet McNaught. The dark trapezoidal shape on the left edge of the image in HI-2 is the Earth occulter which will block out the disk of the Earth when it moves into view (since the planet will appear so bright as to saturate the detectors). Due to ongoing work with the STEREO coronagraphs, COR1 and COR2, the SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs are used for this movie. The blue Sun in the center of the coronagraphs is STEREO/EUVI ultraviolet images. There is a 22 hour gap in the data coverage for HI-2 which creates the appearance of a jump in the playback. These are not standard images but are called `running difference' images which highlight changes in the view. White pixels correspond to increases in brightness, while dark pixels reflect a decrease in brightness, with respect to the immediately previous image. 'Running differencing' generates some unusual effects. For example, the mottled background is created by the motion of the stars through the field-of-view as the spacecraft pointing direction slowly changes (the Andromeda galaxy is the oblong 'smudge' near the upper left corner). The planets Venus (right edge of HI-2) and Mercury are visible (near center of HI-1), their column of pixels saturated due to their brightness. * STEREO: Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory * SOHO: SOlar Heliospheric Observatory * LASCO: Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph * EUVI: Extreme UltraViolet Imager |
| Completed |
2007-02-26 |
|
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection
…
| Title |
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection: From the EUVI to HI-2 |
| Abstract |
This movie collects imagery from SOHO and STEREO-A of a coronal mass ejection (CME) during January of 2007. The instruments in this view, from left to right, are STEREO/HI-1, STEREO/HI-2, SOHO/LASCO/C3, SOHO/LASCO/C2, and STEREO/EUVI. The Heliospheric Imager, HI-2, shows some of the tail of comet McNaught. The dark trapezoidal shape on the left edge of the image in HI-2 is the Earth occulter which will block out the disk of the Earth when it moves into view (since the planet will appear so bright as to saturate the detectors). Due to ongoing work with the STEREO coronagraphs, COR1 and COR2, the SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs are used for this movie. The blue Sun in the center of the coronagraphs is STEREO/EUVI ultraviolet images. There is a 22 hour gap in the data coverage for HI-2 which creates the appearance of a jump in the playback. These are not standard images but are called `running difference' images which highlight changes in the view. White pixels correspond to increases in brightness, while dark pixels reflect a decrease in brightness, with respect to the immediately previous image. 'Running differencing' generates some unusual effects. For example, the mottled background is created by the motion of the stars through the field-of-view as the spacecraft pointing direction slowly changes (the Andromeda galaxy is the oblong 'smudge' near the upper left corner). The planets Venus (right edge of HI-2) and Mercury are visible (near center of HI-1), their column of pixels saturated due to their brightness. * STEREO: Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory * SOHO: SOlar Heliospheric Observatory * LASCO: Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph * EUVI: Extreme UltraViolet Imager |
| Completed |
2007-02-26 |
|
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection
…
| Title |
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection: From the EUVI to HI-2 |
| Abstract |
This movie collects imagery from SOHO and STEREO-A of a coronal mass ejection (CME) during January of 2007. The instruments in this view, from left to right, are STEREO/HI-1, STEREO/HI-2, SOHO/LASCO/C3, SOHO/LASCO/C2, and STEREO/EUVI. The Heliospheric Imager, HI-2, shows some of the tail of comet McNaught. The dark trapezoidal shape on the left edge of the image in HI-2 is the Earth occulter which will block out the disk of the Earth when it moves into view (since the planet will appear so bright as to saturate the detectors). Due to ongoing work with the STEREO coronagraphs, COR1 and COR2, the SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs are used for this movie. The blue Sun in the center of the coronagraphs is STEREO/EUVI ultraviolet images. There is a 22 hour gap in the data coverage for HI-2 which creates the appearance of a jump in the playback. These are not standard images but are called `running difference' images which highlight changes in the view. White pixels correspond to increases in brightness, while dark pixels reflect a decrease in brightness, with respect to the immediately previous image. 'Running differencing' generates some unusual effects. For example, the mottled background is created by the motion of the stars through the field-of-view as the spacecraft pointing direction slowly changes (the Andromeda galaxy is the oblong 'smudge' near the upper left corner). The planets Venus (right edge of HI-2) and Mercury are visible (near center of HI-1), their column of pixels saturated due to their brightness. * STEREO: Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory * SOHO: SOlar Heliospheric Observatory * LASCO: Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph * EUVI: Extreme UltraViolet Imager |
| Completed |
2007-02-26 |
|
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection
…
| Title |
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection: From the EUVI to HI-2 |
| Abstract |
This movie collects imagery from SOHO and STEREO-A of a coronal mass ejection (CME) during January of 2007. The instruments in this view, from left to right, are STEREO/HI-1, STEREO/HI-2, SOHO/LASCO/C3, SOHO/LASCO/C2, and STEREO/EUVI. The Heliospheric Imager, HI-2, shows some of the tail of comet McNaught. The dark trapezoidal shape on the left edge of the image in HI-2 is the Earth occulter which will block out the disk of the Earth when it moves into view (since the planet will appear so bright as to saturate the detectors). Due to ongoing work with the STEREO coronagraphs, COR1 and COR2, the SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs are used for this movie. The blue Sun in the center of the coronagraphs is STEREO/EUVI ultraviolet images. There is a 22 hour gap in the data coverage for HI-2 which creates the appearance of a jump in the playback. These are not standard images but are called `running difference' images which highlight changes in the view. White pixels correspond to increases in brightness, while dark pixels reflect a decrease in brightness, with respect to the immediately previous image. 'Running differencing' generates some unusual effects. For example, the mottled background is created by the motion of the stars through the field-of-view as the spacecraft pointing direction slowly changes (the Andromeda galaxy is the oblong 'smudge' near the upper left corner). The planets Venus (right edge of HI-2) and Mercury are visible (near center of HI-1), their column of pixels saturated due to their brightness. * STEREO: Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory * SOHO: SOlar Heliospheric Observatory * LASCO: Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph * EUVI: Extreme UltraViolet Imager |
| Completed |
2007-02-26 |
|
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection
…
| Title |
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection: From the EUVI to HI-2 |
| Abstract |
This movie collects imagery from SOHO and STEREO-A of a coronal mass ejection (CME) during January of 2007. The instruments in this view, from left to right, are STEREO/HI-1, STEREO/HI-2, SOHO/LASCO/C3, SOHO/LASCO/C2, and STEREO/EUVI. The Heliospheric Imager, HI-2, shows some of the tail of comet McNaught. The dark trapezoidal shape on the left edge of the image in HI-2 is the Earth occulter which will block out the disk of the Earth when it moves into view (since the planet will appear so bright as to saturate the detectors). Due to ongoing work with the STEREO coronagraphs, COR1 and COR2, the SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs are used for this movie. The blue Sun in the center of the coronagraphs is STEREO/EUVI ultraviolet images. There is a 22 hour gap in the data coverage for HI-2 which creates the appearance of a jump in the playback. These are not standard images but are called `running difference' images which highlight changes in the view. White pixels correspond to increases in brightness, while dark pixels reflect a decrease in brightness, with respect to the immediately previous image. 'Running differencing' generates some unusual effects. For example, the mottled background is created by the motion of the stars through the field-of-view as the spacecraft pointing direction slowly changes (the Andromeda galaxy is the oblong 'smudge' near the upper left corner). The planets Venus (right edge of HI-2) and Mercury are visible (near center of HI-1), their column of pixels saturated due to their brightness. * STEREO: Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory * SOHO: SOlar Heliospheric Observatory * LASCO: Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph * EUVI: Extreme UltraViolet Imager |
| Completed |
2007-02-26 |
|
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection
…
| Title |
STEREO Coronal Mass Ejection: From the EUVI to HI-2 |
| Abstract |
This movie collects imagery from SOHO and STEREO-A of a coronal mass ejection (CME) during January of 2007. The instruments in this view, from left to right, are STEREO/HI-1, STEREO/HI-2, SOHO/LASCO/C3, SOHO/LASCO/C2, and STEREO/EUVI. The Heliospheric Imager, HI-2, shows some of the tail of comet McNaught. The dark trapezoidal shape on the left edge of the image in HI-2 is the Earth occulter which will block out the disk of the Earth when it moves into view (since the planet will appear so bright as to saturate the detectors). Due to ongoing work with the STEREO coronagraphs, COR1 and COR2, the SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs are used for this movie. The blue Sun in the center of the coronagraphs is STEREO/EUVI ultraviolet images. There is a 22 hour gap in the data coverage for HI-2 which creates the appearance of a jump in the playback. These are not standard images but are called `running difference' images which highlight changes in the view. White pixels correspond to increases in brightness, while dark pixels reflect a decrease in brightness, with respect to the immediately previous image. 'Running differencing' generates some unusual effects. For example, the mottled background is created by the motion of the stars through the field-of-view as the spacecraft pointing direction slowly changes (the Andromeda galaxy is the oblong 'smudge' near the upper left corner). The planets Venus (right edge of HI-2) and Mercury are visible (near center of HI-1), their column of pixels saturated due to their brightness. * STEREO: Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory * SOHO: SOlar Heliospheric Observatory * LASCO: Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph * EUVI: Extreme UltraViolet Imager |
| Completed |
2007-02-26 |
|
The Comet and the Galaxy
| Title |
The Comet and the Galaxy |
| Explanation |
The Moon almost ruined this photograph. During late March and early April 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ] passed nearly in front of the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040718.html ]. Here the Great Comet of 1997 [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/1995o1.html ] and the Great Galaxy in Andromeda [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m031.html ] were photographed together [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970401.html ] on 1997 March 24th. The problem was the brightness of the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970924.html ]. The Moon [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html ] was full that night and so bright that long exposures meant to capture the tails of Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970416.html ] and the disk of M31 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961011.html ] would capture instead only moonlight reflected off the Earth's atmosphere. By the time the Moon would set, this opportunity would be gone. That's why this picture was taken during a total lunar eclipse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960926.html ]. |
|
M33: Spiral Galaxy in Triang
…
| Title |
M33: Spiral Galaxy in Triangulum |
| Explanation |
The small, northern constellation Triangulum [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/tri/index.html ] harbors this magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m033.html ]. M33 is over 50,000 light-years in diameter, third largest in the Local Group [ http://atlasoftheuniverse.com/localgr.html ] of galaxies after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 is itself thought to be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021021.html ] and astronomers [ http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph?papernum=0506609 ] in these two galaxies would likely have spectacular views of each other's grand spiral star systems. As for the view from planet Earth, this detailed, wide field image [ http://www.tvdavisastropics.com/astroimages-1_00001f.htm ] nicely shows off M33's blue star clusters and pinkish star [ http://www.astropix.com/HTML/SHOW_DIG/031.HTM ] forming regions which trace the galaxy's loosely wound spiral arms. In fact, the cavernous NGC 604 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021102.html ] is the brightest star forming region, seen here at about the 1 o'clock position from the galaxy center. Like M31, M33's population of well-measured variable stars have helped make this nearby spiral a cosmic yardstick [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kstanek/DIRECT/ ] for establishing [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/ bib_query?1926ApJ....63..236H ] the distance scale [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/ debate96.html ] of the Universe. |
|
A Galaxy is not a Comet
| Title |
A Galaxy is not a Comet |
| Explanation |
This gorgeous galaxy and comet portrait [ http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/comets/ gallery_iz.html ] was recorded on April 5th in the skies over the Oriental Pyrenees near Figueres, Spain [ http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ sp.html ]. From a site above 1,100 meters, astrophotographer [ http://www.skylook.net/nav/indexe.htm ] Juan Carlos Casado used a guided time exposure, fast film, and a telephoto lens to capture the predicted conjunction of the bright Comet Ikeya-Zhang [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020404.html ] (right) and the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000908.html ] (left). This stunning celestial scene would also have been a rewarding one for the influential 18th century comet hunter Charles Messier [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/ biograph.html ]. While Messier scanned French skies for comets, he carefully cataloged positions of things which were fuzzy and comet-like in appearance but did not move against the background stars and so were definitely not comets. The Andromeda Galaxy [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/ANDROMEDA_Atlas/ frames.html ], also known as M31, is the 31st object in his famous not-a-comet catalog [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/xtra/history/ m-cat.html ]. Not-a-comet object number 110 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/ m110.html ], a late addition to Messier's catalog, is one of Andromeda's small satellite galaxies, and can be seen here just below M31. Our modern [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/ debate20.html ] understanding [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/goodies/data_resources/ galaxies.text ] holds that the Andromeda galaxy is a large spiral galaxy some 2 million light-years distant [ http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/localgr.html ]. The photogenic Comet Ikeya-Zhang [ http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/comet_IZ.html ], now a lovely sight in early morning skies [ http://www.spaceweather.com/images2002/08apr02/ skymap_north.gif ], is about 80 million kilometers (4 light-minutes) from planet Earth. |
|
Island Universe, Cosmic Sand
| Title |
Island Universe, Cosmic Sand |
| Explanation |
On August 13, while counting Perseid meteors [ http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/ perseids.html ] under dark [ http://www.darksky.org/ida/darksky/ index.html ], early morning Arizona skies, Rick Scott set out to photograph [ http://members.cox.net/rmscott/ gallery_space_sky02.html ] their fleeting but fiery trails. The equipment he used included a telephoto lens and fast color film. After 21 pictures he'd caught only two meteors, but luckily this was one of them. Tracking the sky, his ten minute long exposure shows a field of many stars in our own Milky Way galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/ more/mw.html ], most too faint to be seen by the unaided eye. Flashing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990219.html ] from lower left to upper right, the bright meteor would have been an easy eyeful though, as friction with Earth's atmosphere vaporized [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020816.html ] the hurtling grain of cosmic sand [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001117.html ], a piece of dust from Comet Swift-Tuttle [ http://comets.amsmeteors.org/comets/pcomets/ 109p.html ]. Just above and left of center, well beyond the stars of the Milky Way, lies the island universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020518.html ] known as M31 or the Andromeda galaxy. The visible meteor trail begins about 100 kilometers above Earth's surface, one of the closest celestial objects seen in the sky. In contrast, Andromeda [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/ m031.html ], about 2 million light-years away, is the most distant object easily visible to the naked-eye. |
|
Island Universe, Cosmic Sand
| Title |
Island Universe, Cosmic Sand |
| Explanation |
On August 13, 2002, while counting Perseid meteors [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/ 17jul_perseids2003.htm ] under dark [ http://www.darksky.org/ida/darksky/ index.html ], early morning Arizona skies, Rick Scott set out to photograph [ http://members.cox.net/rmscott/ gallery_space_sky02.html ] their fleeting but fiery trails. The equipment he used included a telephoto lens and fast color film. After 21 pictures he'd caught only two meteors, but luckily this was one of them. Tracking the sky, his ten minute long exposure shows a field of many stars in our own Milky Way galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/ more/mw.html ], most too faint to be seen by the unaided eye. Flashing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990219.html ] from lower left to upper right, the bright meteor would have been an easy eyeful though, as friction with Earth's atmosphere vaporized [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020816.html ] the hurtling grain of cosmic sand [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001117.html ], a piece of dust from Comet Swift-Tuttle [ http://comets.amsmeteors.org/comets/pcomets/ 109p.html ]. Just above and left of center, well beyond the stars of the Milky Way, lies the island universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020518.html ] known as M31 or the Andromeda galaxy. The visible meteor trail begins about 100 kilometers above Earth's surface, one of the closest celestial objects seen in the sky. In contrast, Andromeda [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/ m031.html ], about 2 million light-years away, is the most distant object easily visible to the naked-eye. |
|
The Northern Milky Way
| Title |
The Northern Milky Way |
| Explanation |
Many of the stars in our home Milky Way Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/mw.html ] appear together as a dim band on the sky that passes nearly over the Earth's north [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020818.html ] and south poles. Pictured above [ http://www.astropix.com/HTML/SHOWCASE/NMW.HTM ] is the part of our Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/milky_way.html ] that passes closest over the north pole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000715.html ]. Placing your cursor [ http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/cursor] over the image will bring up the names of several constellations [ http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/exhibits/constellations/timeline.html ] and bright stars [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html ]. The diffuse white Galaxy glow is created by billions of stars, while red patches are large emission nebulas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ], usually marking areas where bright stars have recently formed. In the north, all of the lights visible at night and all lights that created this image were emitted within the past few thousand years from within the Milky Way Galaxy -- except one. On the upper right is a small faint patch designated M31, the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021021.html ]. M31 is a spiral galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/spir.html ] similar to our Milky Way [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990224.html ] but so distant it emits the oldest light distinguishable by the unaided eye -- light that takes over two million years to reach us. |
|
M33: Spiral Galaxy in Triang
…
| Title |
M33: Spiral Galaxy in Triangulum |
| Explanation |
The small constellation Triangulum [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/tri/index.html ] in the northern sky harbors this magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m033.html ]. M33's diameter spans over 50,000 light-years, making it third largest in the Local Group [ http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/localgr.html ] of galaxies after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 lies very close to the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021021.html ] and observers [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/gifimages/m33.html ] in these two galaxies would likely have spectacular views of each other's grand spiral star systems. As for the view from planet Earth, this sharp 27 frame mosaic [ http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M33ColorPage.html ] of M33 nicely shows off blue star clusters and pinkish star forming regions which trace the galaxy's loosely wound spiral arms. In fact, the cavernous NGC 604 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021102.html ] is the brightest star forming region seen here, visible along an arm arcing above and to the right of the galaxy center. Like M31, M33's population of well-measured variable stars have helped make this nearby spiral a cosmic yardstick [ http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kstanek/DIRECT/ ] for establishing [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/ bib_query?1926ApJ....63..236H ] the distance scale [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/ debate96.html ] of the Universe. |
|
The Andromeda Galaxy from GA
…
| Title |
The Andromeda Galaxy from GALEX |
| Explanation |
Why does the Andromeda Galaxy have a giant ring? Viewed in ultraviolet light [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/uv.html ], the closest major galaxy to our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/mw.html ] looks more like a ring galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020909.html ] than a spiral [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030911.html ]. The ring is highlighted beautifully in this newly released image mosaic of Andromeda [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021021.html ] (M31) taken by the GALaxy Evolution Explorer [ http://www.galex.caltech.edu/ABOUT/about.html ] (GALEX), a satellite launched into Earth orbit in April. In the above image [ http://www.galex.caltech.edu/popups/gallery-M31.html ], ultraviolet colors have been digitally shifted to the visual. Young blue stars [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1964ApJS....9...65V ] dominate the image, indicating the star forming ring [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010612.html ] as well as other star forming regions even further from the galactic center [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000121.html ]. The origin of the huge 150,000-light year [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] ring is unknown but likely related to gravitational interactions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020506.html ] with small satellite galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021202.html ] that orbit near the galactic giant. M31 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m031.html ] lies about three million light-years distant and is bright enough to be seen without binoculars toward the constellation [ http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellations ] of Andromeda [ http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/and.html ]. |
|
A Galaxy is not a Comet
| Title |
A Galaxy is not a Comet |
| Explanation |
This gorgeous galaxy and comet portrait [ http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/comets/ gallery_iz.html ] was recorded on April 5th, 2002, in the skies over the Oriental Pyrenees near Figueres, Spain [ http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ sp.html ]. From a site above 1,100 meters, astrophotographer [ http://www.skylook.net/nav/indexe.htm ] Juan Carlos Casado used a guided time exposure, fast film, and a telephoto lens to capture the predicted conjunction of the bright Comet Ikeya-Zhang [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020404.html ] (right) and the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021021.html ] (left). This stunning celestial scene would also have been a rewarding one for the influential 18th century comet hunter Charles Messier [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/ biograph.html ]. While Messier scanned French skies for comets, he carefully cataloged positions of things which were fuzzy and comet-like in appearance but did not move against the background stars and so were definitely not comets. The Andromeda Galaxy [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/ANDROMEDA_Atlas/ frames.html ], also known as M31, is the 31st object in his famous not-a-comet catalog [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/xtra/history/ m-cat.html ]. Not-a-comet object number 110 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/ m110.html ], a late addition to Messier's catalog, is one of Andromeda's small satellite galaxies, and can be seen here just below M31. Our modern [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/ debate20.html ] understanding [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/goodies/data_resources/ galaxies.text ] holds that the Andromeda galaxy is a large spiral galaxy some 2 million light-years distant [ http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/localgr.html ]. The photogenic Comet Ikeya-Zhang [ http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/comet_IZ.html ], then a lovely sight in early morning skies was about 80 million kilometers (4 light-minutes) from planet Earth. |
|
The Comet and the Galaxy
| Title |
The Comet and the Galaxy |
| Explanation |
The Moon almost ruined this photograph. During late March and early April 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ] passed nearly in front of the Andromeda Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971101.html ]. Here the Great Comet of 1997 [ http://medicine.wustl.edu/~kronkg/1995_O1.html ] and the Great Galaxy in Andromeda [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m031.html ] were photographed together [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970401.html ] on 1997 March 24th. The problem was the brightness of the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970924.html ]. The Moon [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html ] was full that night and so bright that long exposures meant to capture the tails of Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970416.html ] and the disk of M31 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961011.html ] would capture instead only moonlight reflected off the Earth's atmosphere. By the time the Moon would set, this opportunity would be gone. That's why this picture was taken during a lunar eclipse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960926.html ]. |
|
Galactic Hearts of Glass
PIA02180
Infrared Spectrograph (IRS)
| Title |
Galactic Hearts of Glass |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on image for larger graph This artist's concept shows delicate greenish crystals sprinkled throughout the violent core of a pair of colliding galaxies. The white spots represent a thriving population of stars of all sizes and ages. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detected more than 20 bright and dusty galactic mergers like the one depicted here, all teeming with the tiny gem-like crystals. When galaxies collide, they trigger the birth of large numbers of massive stars. Astronomers believe these blazing hot stars act like furnaces to produce silicate crystals in the same way that glass is made from sand. The stars probably shed the crystals as they age, and as they blow apart in supernovae explosions. At the same time the crystals are being churned out, they are also being destroyed. Fast-moving particles from supernova blasts easily convert silicates crystals back to their amorphous, or shapeless, form. How is Spitzer seeing the crystals if they are rapidly disappearing? Astronomers say that, for a short period of time at the beginning of galactic mergers, massive stars might be producing silicate crystals faster than they are eliminating them. When our own galaxy merges with the Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years, a similar burst of massive stars and silicate crystals might occur. Crystal Storm in Distant Galaxy The graph (see inset above) of infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope tells astronomers that a distant galaxy called IRAS 08752+3915 is experiencing a storm of tiny crystals made up of silicates. The crystals are similar to the glass-like grains of sand found on Earth's many beaches. The data were taken by Spitzer's infrared spectrograph, which splits light open to reveal its rainbow-like components. The resulting spectrum shown here reveals the signatures of both crystalline (green) and non-crystalline (brown) silicates. Spitzer detected the same crystals in 20 additional galaxies, all belonging to a class called ultraluminous infrared galaxies. These extremely bright and dusty galaxies usually consist of two galaxies in the process of smashing into each other. Astronomers believe massive stars at the hearts of the galaxies are churning out clouds of silicate crystals. This phenomenon may represent a short-lived phase in the evolution of galactic mergers. |
|
Galactic Hearts of Glass
PIA02180
Infrared Spectrograph (IRS)
| Title |
Galactic Hearts of Glass |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on image for larger graph This artist's concept shows delicate greenish crystals sprinkled throughout the violent core of a pair of colliding galaxies. The white spots represent a thriving population of stars of all sizes and ages. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detected more than 20 bright and dusty galactic mergers like the one depicted here, all teeming with the tiny gem-like crystals. When galaxies collide, they trigger the birth of large numbers of massive stars. Astronomers believe these blazing hot stars act like furnaces to produce silicate crystals in the same way that glass is made from sand. The stars probably shed the crystals as they age, and as they blow apart in supernovae explosions. At the same time the crystals are being churned out, they are also being destroyed. Fast-moving particles from supernova blasts easily convert silicates crystals back to their amorphous, or shapeless, form. How is Spitzer seeing the crystals if they are rapidly disappearing? Astronomers say that, for a short period of time at the beginning of galactic mergers, massive stars might be producing silicate crystals faster than they are eliminating them. When our own galaxy merges with the Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years, a similar burst of massive stars and silicate crystals might occur. Crystal Storm in Distant Galaxy The graph (see inset above) of infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope tells astronomers that a distant galaxy called IRAS 08752+3915 is experiencing a storm of tiny crystals made up of silicates. The crystals are similar to the glass-like grains of sand found on Earth's many beaches. The data were taken by Spitzer's infrared spectrograph, which splits light open to reveal its rainbow-like components. The resulting spectrum shown here reveals the signatures of both crystalline (green) and non-crystalline (brown) silicates. Spitzer detected the same crystals in 20 additional galaxies, all belonging to a class called ultraluminous infrared galaxies. These extremely bright and dusty galaxies usually consist of two galaxies in the process of smashing into each other. Astronomers believe massive stars at the hearts of the galaxies are churning out clouds of silicate crystals. This phenomenon may represent a short-lived phase in the evolution of galactic mergers. |
|
Fade to Red
PIA08506
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
| Title |
Fade to Red |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster This animation shows the Andromeda galaxy, first as seen in visible light by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, then as seen in infrared by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The visible-light image highlights the galaxy's population of about one trillion stars. The stars are so crammed into its core that this region blazes with bright starlight. In contrast, the false-colored Spitzer view reveals red waves of dust against a more tranquil sea of blue stars. The dust lanes can be seen twirling all the way into the galaxy's center. This dust is warmed by young stars and shines at infrared wavelengths , which are represented in red. The blue color signifies shorter-wavelength infrared light primarily from older stars. 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines. |
|
Fade to Red
PIA08506
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
| Title |
Fade to Red |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster This animation shows the Andromeda galaxy, first as seen in visible light by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, then as seen in infrared by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The visible-light image highlights the galaxy's population of about one trillion stars. The stars are so crammed into its core that this region blazes with bright starlight. In contrast, the false-colored Spitzer view reveals red waves of dust against a more tranquil sea of blue stars. The dust lanes can be seen twirling all the way into the galaxy's center. This dust is warmed by young stars and shines at infrared wavelengths , which are represented in red. The blue color signifies shorter-wavelength infrared light primarily from older stars. 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines. |
|
Fade to Red
PIA08506
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
| Title |
Fade to Red |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster This animation shows the Andromeda galaxy, first as seen in visible light by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, then as seen in infrared by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The visible-light image highlights the galaxy's population of about one trillion stars. The stars are so crammed into its core that this region blazes with bright starlight. In contrast, the false-colored Spitzer view reveals red waves of dust against a more tranquil sea of blue stars. The dust lanes can be seen twirling all the way into the galaxy's center. This dust is warmed by young stars and shines at infrared wavelengths , which are represented in red. The blue color signifies shorter-wavelength infrared light primarily from older stars. 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines. |
|
Fade to Red
PIA08506
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
| Title |
Fade to Red |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster This animation shows the Andromeda galaxy, first as seen in visible light by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, then as seen in infrared by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The visible-light image highlights the galaxy's population of about one trillion stars. The stars are so crammed into its core that this region blazes with bright starlight. In contrast, the false-colored Spitzer view reveals red waves of dust against a more tranquil sea of blue stars. The dust lanes can be seen twirling all the way into the galaxy's center. This dust is warmed by young stars and shines at infrared wavelengths , which are represented in red. The blue color signifies shorter-wavelength infrared light primarily from older stars. 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines. |
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