Hubble image archive
Spitzer-Hubble-Chandra Composite of M101
This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 is a composite of views from the Spitzer Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory. Each wavelength region shows different aspects of celestial objects and often reveals new objects that could not otherwise...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2009
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2009-07-2483-image
This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 is a composite of views from the Spitzer Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory. Each wavelength region shows different aspects of celestial objects and often reveals new objects that could not otherwise be studied. 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.
Credits
NASA, ESA, CXC, SSC, and STScIImage Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | M101, NGC 4547, The Pinwheel Galaxy |
| Object Description | Face-on Spiral Galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 14h 3m 13.0s |
| Dec. Position | 54° 20' 52.99" |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 21.8 million light-years (6.7 megaparsecs) |
| Dimensions | This image is 18 arcminutes (114,000 light-years or 35,000 parsecs) wide. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Spitzer data: The science team for the Spitzer data include K. Gordon (STScI), C. Engelbracht, G. Rieke, K. Misselt, and J.-D. Smith (University of Arizona), and R. Kennicutt (University of Cambridge). Hubble data: This image was created from HST data from the following proposals: : K. Kuntz (Johns Hopkins University) : F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii) : J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) : J. Mould (NOAO) : Y.-C. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana) The Hubble exposures have been superimposed onto ground-based images, visible at the edge of the image, taken at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii, and at the 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Arizona. Chandra data: The science team was led by K. Kuntz (Johns Hopkins University). |
| Instrument | Spitzer>IRAC, Spitzer>MIPS, HST>ACS/WFC, HST>WFPC2, and CXO>ACIS |
| Exposure Dates | Mar 8, 2004 and May 10/11, 2004 (Spitzer), March 1994, September 1994, June 1999, November 2002, and January 2003 (HST), and March 2000 - January 2005 (CXO) |
| Filters | Spitzer: 85 sec/pixel (IRAC) and 200 sec/pixel (MIPS 24 micron) HST: F435W (B), F555W (V)), and F814W (I) CXO Energies: 0.45 - 1.00 keV and 1.00 - 2.00 keV |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Red: 85 sec/pixel (IRAC) and 200 sec/pixel (MIPS 24 micron) Yellow/green: F435W (B), F555W (V)), and F814W (I) Blue: 0.45 - 1.00 keV and 1.00 - 2.00 keV |
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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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