Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This infrared picture shows a relatively calm galaxy called NGC 4145. This galaxy has already made most of its stars and has little star-forming activity. It is located 68 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Blue shows starlight and dust.

This image is one of the first to be taken during Spitzer's warm mission -- a new phase that began after the telescope, which operated for more than five-and-a-half years, ran out of liquid coolant. The picture was snapped with the two infrared channels that still work at Spitzer's still-quite-chilly temperature of 30 Kelvin (about minus 406 Fahrenheit). The two infrared channels are part of Spitzer's infrared array camera: 3.6-micron light is blue and 4.5-micron light is orange.

This picture was taken while the telescope was being re-commissioned, on July 18.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2707-ssc2009-15a2-Barred-Spiral-Galaxy-NGC-4145

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain