NASA's Great Observatories Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy

Spitzer_ssc2009-03a1_1024

spitzer_ssc2009-03a1 February 10th, 2009

Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC, JPL, Caltech and STScI

In 1609, Galileo improved the newly invented telescope, turned it toward the heavens, and revolutionized our view of the universe. In celebration of the 400th anniversary of this milestone, 2009 has been designated as the International Year of Astronomy.

Today, NASA's Great Observatories are continuing Galileo's legacy with stunning images and breakthrough science from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

While Galileo observed the sky using visible light seen by the human eye, technology now allows us to observe in many wavelengths, including Spitzer's infrared view and Chandra's view in X-rays. Each wavelength region shows different aspects of celestial objects and often reveals new objects that could not otherwise be studied.

This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 is a composite of views from Spitzer, Hubble, and Chandra.

The red color shows Spitzer's view in infrared light. It highlights the heat emitted by dust lanes in the galaxy where stars can form.

The yellow color is Hubble's view in visible light. Most of this light comes from stars, and they trace the same spiral structure as the dust lanes.

The blue color shows Chandra's view in X-ray light. Sources of X-rays include million-degree gas, exploded stars, and material colliding around black holes.

Such composite images allow astronomers to see how features seen in one wavelength match up with those seen in another wavelength. It's like seeing with a camera, night vision goggles, and X-ray vision all at once.

In the four centuries since Galileo, astronomy has changed dramatically. Yet our curiosity and quest for knowledge remain the same. So, too, does our wonder at the splendor of the universe.

The International Year of Astronomy Great Observatories Image Unveiling is supported by the NASA Science Mission Directorate Astrophysics Division. The project is a collaboration between the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Spitzer Science Center, and the Chandra X-ray Center.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1992-ssc2009-03a1-M101-NASA-s-Great-Observatories-Composite

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

View Options

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Pinwheel Galaxy Messier 101 M101
Subject - Local Universe
Galaxy > Type > Spiral
Galaxy > Activity > Normal

Distance

Universescale2
27,000,000 light years

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Chandra (ACIS) X-ray 826.7 pm
Yellow Hubble (ACS) Optical (B-band) 435.0 nm
Red Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 8.0 µm
Spectrum_xray1
Blue
Yellow
Red
Spitzer_ssc2009-03a1_1280
×
ID
ssc2009-03a1
Subject Category
C.5.1.1.   C.5.3.1.  
Subject Name
Pinwheel Galaxy, Messier 101, M101
Credits
NASA, ESA, CXC, JPL, Caltech and STScI
Release Date
2009-02-10
Lightyears
27,000,000
Redshift
0.0008
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1992-ssc2009-03a1-M101-NASA-s-Great-Observatories-Composite
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Chandra, Hubble, Spitzer
Instrument
ACIS, ACS, IRAC
Color Assignment
Blue, Yellow, Red
Band
X-ray, Optical, Infrared
Bandpass
-, B-band, Mid-IR
Central Wavelength
0.8267, 435, 8000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
ssc2009-03a1.tif
Metadata Date
2011-09-02
Metadata Version
1.1
×

 

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×
Universescalefull
27,000,000 light years

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