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The Birth of Stars
The spectacular new camera i
…
11/10/09
| Description |
The spectacular new camera installed on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope during Servicing Mission 4 in May has delivered the most detailed view of star birth in the graceful, curving arms of the nearby spiral galaxy M83. Nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel, M83 is undergoing more rapid star formation than our own Milky Way galaxy, especially in its nucleus. The sharp 'eye' of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) has captured hundreds of young star clusters, ancient swarms of globular star clusters, and hundreds of thousands of individual stars, mostly blue supergiants and red supergiants. WFC3's broad wavelength range, from ultraviolet to near-infrared, reveals stars at different stages of evolution, allowing astronomers to dissect the galaxy's star-formation history. The image reveals in unprecedented detail the current rapid rate of star birth in this famous "grand design" spiral galaxy. The newest generations of stars are forming largely in clusters on the edges of the dark dust lanes, the backbone of the spiral arms. These fledgling stars, only a few million years old, are bursting out of their dusty cocoons and producing bubbles of reddish glowing hydrogen gas. The excavated regions give a colorful "Swiss cheese" appearance to the spiral arm. Gradually, the young stars' fierce winds (streams of charged particles) blow away the gas, revealing bright blue star clusters. These stars are about 1 million to 10 million years old. The older populations of stars are not as blue. A bar of stars, gas, and dust slicing across the core of the galaxy may be instigating most of the star birth in the galaxy's core. The bar funnels material to the galaxy's center, where the most active star formation is taking place. The brightest star clusters reside along an arc near the core. The remains of about 60 supernova blasts, the deaths of massive stars, can be seen in the image, five times more than known previously in this region. WFC3 identified the remnants of exploded stars. By studying these remnants, astronomers can better understand the nature of the progenitor stars, which are responsible for the creation and dispersal of most of the galaxy's heavy elements. M83, located in the Southern Hemisphere, is often compared to M51, dubbed the Whirlpool galaxy, in the Northern Hemisphere. Located 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra, M83 is two times closer to Earth than M51. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, R. O'Connell (University of Virginia), B. Whitmore (Space Telescope Science Institute), M. Dopita (Australian National University), and the Wide Field Camera 3 Science Oversight Committee |
| Date |
11/10/09 |
|
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) HST I
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| Name |
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) HST Image |
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Hubble Confirms Existence of
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| Title |
Hubble Confirms Existence of Massive Black Hole at Heart of Active Galaxy |
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Hubble Confirms Existence of
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| Title |
Hubble Confirms Existence of Massive Black Hole at Heart of Active Galaxy |
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Swirling Galaxy Parents Gene
…
| Title |
Swirling Galaxy Parents Generations of Stars in Its Center |
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Hubble Reveals the Heart of
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| Title |
Hubble Reveals the Heart of the Whirlpool Galaxy |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
NASA's Hubble Space Telescop
…
| Title |
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Resolves a Dark "x" Across the Nucleus of M51 |
| General Information |
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release? A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided astronomers with what may be their first direct view of an immense ring of dust which fuels a massive black hole at the heart of the spiral galaxy M51, located 20 million light-years away. Surprisingly, they found that the ring is standing almost perpendicularly to the relatively flat spiral galaxy, like a top spinning on its side with respect to the floor. Even more surprising is the discovery of a secondary ring or dust lane which is contrary to all expectations. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1992/17/text/ ] |
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NASA's Hubble Space Telescop
…
| Title |
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Resolves a Dark "x" Across the Nucleus of M51 |
| General Information |
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release? A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided astronomers with what may be their first direct view of an immense ring of dust which fuels a massive black hole at the heart of the spiral galaxy M51, located 20 million light-years away. Surprisingly, they found that the ring is standing almost perpendicularly to the relatively flat spiral galaxy, like a top spinning on its side with respect to the floor. Even more surprising is the discovery of a secondary ring or dust lane which is contrary to all expectations. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1992/17/text/ ] |
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Hubble Finds Mysterious Ring
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| Title |
Hubble Finds Mysterious Ring Structure around Supernova 1987a |
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Hubble Observes the Supernov
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| Title |
Hubble Observes the Supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy |
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M51: The Center Of The Whirl
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| Title |
M51: The Center Of The Whirlpool |
| Explanation |
In the center of M51 [ http://hubble.stsci.edu/news_.and._views/pr.cgi?1996+17 ], a spiral galaxy 23 million light-years away, astronomers have identified a dense region of young stars. Viewed face-on in the constellation Canes Venatici [ http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/cvn.html ], the swirling arcs of this galaxy's spiral arms [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980314.html ] have inspired its popular name, The Whirlpool Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m051.html ]. This 1996 Hubble Space Telescope image of its nucleus [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1996/17.html ] reveals the light from millions of stars, perhaps one tenth the age of the Sun, packed into the bright central region. A mere 80 light-years across, this area is so crowded with stars that the view from a hypothetical [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990327.html ] planet orbiting one of these distant suns would be of a continuously bright sky! The dark "Y" shape visible within this region is an indication that lanes of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000511.html ] are present, partially blocking the intense starlight. |
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M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in
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| Title |
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in Dust and Stars |
| Explanation |
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years [ http://www.pa.msu.edu/~sciencet/ask_st/012292.html ] distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m051.html ], also known as NGC [ http://www.seds.org/billa/ngc.html ] 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m051_m2.html ] on the sky. The above image [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/display.html ] is a digital combination of a ground-based image from the 0.9-meter telescope [ http://www.noao.edu/0.9m/manual.html ] at Kitt Peak National Observatory [ http://www.noao.edu/kpno/ ] and a space-based image from the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://www.stsci.edu/hst/ ] highlighting sharp features normally too red [ http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/Outreach/Edu/infrared.html ] to be seen. Anyone with a good pair of binoculars [ http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoculars1.html#How Binoculars Work ], however, can see this Whirlpool [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/table.html ] toward the constellation [ http://www.physics.csbsju.edu/astro/asp/constellation.faq.html ] of Canes Venatici [ http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/cvn.html ]. M51 is a spiral galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/spiral_galaxies.html ] of type Sc [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/preprints/white/gal_tuningfrk.html ] and is the dominant member of a whole group of galaxies [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m051gr.html ]. Astronomers speculate that M51 [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/supplemental.html ]'s spiral structure [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast626_97/tss.html ] is primarily due to its gravitational interaction with a smaller galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980710.html ] just off the top of this image. |
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In the Center of the Whirlpo
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| Title |
In the Center of the Whirlpool |
| Explanation |
In the center of M51 [ http://www.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/96/17/A.html ], a spiral galaxy 23 million light-years away, astronomers have identified a dense region of young stars. The graceful swirling arcs of this galaxy's spiral arms [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960409.html ] have inspired its popular name, "The Whirlpool Galaxy" [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951218.html ]. This Hubble Space Telescope image of its nucleus reveals the light from millions of stars, perhaps one tenth the age of the Sun, packed into the bright central region. This area is a mere 80 light-years across -- the stars are so crowded here that the view from a hypothetical planet orbiting one of these distant suns would be of a continuously bright sky! The dark "Y" shape visible within this region is an indication that lanes of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951109.html ] are present, partially blocking the intense starlight. |
|
Tomorrow's picture: M51: The
…
| Title |
Tomorrow's picture: M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970125.html ] |
|
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in
…
| Title |
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in Dust and Stars |
| Explanation |
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years [ http://www.pa.msu.edu/~sciencet/ask_st/012292.html ] distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m051.html ], also known as NGC [ http://www.seds.org/billa/ngc.html ] 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m051_m2.html ] on the sky. The above image [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/display.html ] is a digital combination of a ground-based image from the 0.9-meter telescope [ http://www.noao.edu/0.9m/manual.html ] at Kitt Peak National Observatory [ http://www.noao.edu/kpno/ ] and a space-based image from the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://www.stsci.edu/hst/ ] highlighting sharp features normally too red [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/ir_tutorial/what_is_ir.html ] to be seen. Anyone with a good pair of binoculars [ http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoculars1.html#How Binoculars Work ], however, can see this Whirlpool [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/table.html ] toward the constellation [ http://www.physics.csbsju.edu/astro/asp/constellation.faq.html ] of Canes Venatici [ http://www.astronomical.org/portal/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=13 ]. M51 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020710.html ] is a spiral galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/spiral_galaxies.html ] of type Sc [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/preprints/white/gal_tuningfrk.html ] and is the dominant member of a whole group of galaxies [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m051gr.html ]. Astronomers speculate that M51 [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/supplemental.html ]'s spiral structure [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast626_97/tss.html ] is primarily due to its gravitational interaction with a smaller galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980710.html ] just off the top of this digitally sharpened image. |
|
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in
…
| Title |
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in Dust and Stars |
| Explanation |
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years [ http://www.pa.msu.edu/~sciencet/ask_st/012292.html ] distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m051.html ], also known as NGC [ http://www.seds.org/billa/ngc.html ] 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m051_m2.html ] on the sky. The above [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2001/10/image/a ] image [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/display.html ] is a digital combination of a ground-based image from the 0.9-meter telescope [ http://www.noao.edu/0.9m/index.html ] at Kitt Peak National Observatory [ http://www.noao.edu/kpno/ ] and a space-based image from the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://www.stsci.edu/hst/ ] highlighting sharp features normally too red [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/ir_tutorial/what_is_ir.html ] to be seen. Anyone with a good pair of binoculars [ http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoculars1.html#How Binoculars Work ], however, can see this Whirlpool [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001apr/table.html ] toward the constellation [ http://www.physics.csbsju.edu/astro/asp/constellation.faq.html ] of Canes Venatici [ http://www.astronomical.org/portal/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=13 ]. M51 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050428.html ] is a spiral galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/spiral_galaxies.html ] of type Sc [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/preprints/white/gal_tuningfrk.html ] and is the dominant member of a whole group of galaxies [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m051gr.html ]. Astronomers speculate that M51 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy ]'s spiral structure [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast626_97/tss.html ] is primarily due to its gravitational interaction with a smaller galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980710.html ] just off the top of this digitally sharpened image. |
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Seeing Red
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
This image by the Hubble Spa
…
510697main_hs-2011-03-b
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-01-18 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
510697main_hs-2011-03-b |
|
Whirlpool Galaxy
PIA04230
Wide Field Planetary Camera
…
| Title |
Whirlpool Galaxy |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Scientists are seeing unprecedented detail of the spiral arms and dust clouds in the nearby Whirlpool galaxy, thanks to a new Hubble Space Telescope image, available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pictures/wfpc/wfpc.html. The image uses data collected January 15 and 24, 1995, and July 21, 1999, by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, designed and built by JPL. Using the image, a research group led by Dr. Nick Scoville of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, clearly defined the structure of the galaxy's cold dust clouds and hot hydrogen, and they linked star clusters within the galaxy to their parent dust clouds. The Whirlpool galaxy is one of the most photogenic galaxies. This celestial beauty is easily seen and photographed with smaller telescopes and studied extensively from large ground- and space-based observatories. The new composite image shows visible starlight and light from the emission of glowing hydrogen, which is associated with the most luminous young stars in the spiral arms. The galaxy is having a close encounter with a nearby companion galaxy, NGC 5195, just off the upper edge of the image. The companion's gravitational pull is triggering star formation in the main galaxy, lit up by numerous clusters of young and energetic stars in brilliant detail. Luminous clusters are highlighted in red by their associated emission from glowing hydrogen gas. This image was composed by the Hubble Heritage Team from Hubble archive data and was superimposed onto data taken by Dr. Travis Rector of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory at the .9-meter (35-inch) telescope at the National Science Foundation's Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Ariz. Scoville's team includes M. Polletta of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, S. Ewald and S. Stolovy of Caltech, and R. Thompson and M. Rieke of the University of Arizona, Tucson. The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., manages space operations for the Hubble Space Telescope for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA under contract with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. JPL is a division of Caltech. Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope is available at http://www.stsci.edu . More information about the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 is available at http://wfpc2.jpl.nasa.gov |
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![Tomorrow's picture: M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970125.html ]](http://mm04.nasaimages.org/MediaManager/srvr?mediafile=/Size1/NVA2-4-NA/8161/sn1987ares_hst_big.jpg&userid=1&username=admin&resolution=1&servertype=JVA&cid=4&iid=NVA2&vcid=NA&usergroup=NASA_Astronomy_Picture_of_the_Day_Collecti-4-Admin&profileid=16)
