Hubble image archive
Hubble's 15th Anniversary Images of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and Eagle Nebula
During the 15 years NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has orbited the Earth, it has taken more than 700,000 photos of the cosmos; images that have awed, astounded and even confounded astronomers and the public.NASA released new views today of two of the most well-known objects Hubble...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2005
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2005-12-1676-image
During the 15 years NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has orbited the Earth, it has taken more than 700,000 photos of the cosmos; images that have awed, astounded and even confounded astronomers and the public.
NASA released new views today of two of the most well-known objects Hubble has ever observed: the Whirlpool Galaxy (spiral galaxy M51) [left] and the Eagle Nebula [right]. These new images are among the largest and sharpest Hubble has ever taken. They were made with Hubble's newest camera, the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The images are so incredibly sharp, they could be enlarged to billboard size and still retain stunning details.
For the 15th anniversary, scientists used the ACS to record a new region of the eerie-looking Eagle Nebula. The Eagle Nebula image reveals a tall, dense tower of gas being sculpted by ultraviolet light from a group of massive, hot stars. The new Whirlpool Galaxy image showcases the spiral galaxy's classic features, from its curving arms, where newborn stars reside, to its yellowish central core that serves as home for older stars. A feature of considerable interest is the companion galaxy located at the end of one of the spiral arms.
Credits
Whirlpool Galaxy: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)Eagle Nebula: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Whirlpool Galaxy, M51, NGC 5194/5 (left); Eagle Nebula, M16, NGC 6611, IC 4703 (right) |
| Object Description | Face-on Spiral Galaxy with Companion (left); Gaseous Nebula in Open Cluster (right) |
| Distance | Whirlpool Galaxy (left); About 31 million light-years (9.6 Megaparsecs); Eagle Nebula (right): About 6,500 light-years (2,000 parsecs) |
| Dimensions | The left image is 9.6 arcminutes (87,000 light-years or 27,000 parsecs) wide. The right image is 3.2 arcminutes (6 light-years or 1.9 parsecs) wide. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The Whirlpool Galaxy image (left) was created from HST data from proposal : S. Beckwith (STScI), R. Kennicutt Jr. (University of Arizona), and H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, K. Noll, and T. Royle (The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI). Note: High level science products (combined and mosaiced fits files for each filter) are available at: The Eagle Nebula image (right) was created from HST data from proposal : K. Noll, H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, and T. Royle (The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI). |
| Instrument | HST>ACS/WFC |
| Exposure Dates | January 18-22, 2005, Exposure Time: 9.0 hours (left); November 4 - 7, 2004, Exposure Time: 3.4 hours (right) |
| Filters | Whirlpool Galaxy (left); F435W (B), F555W (V), F658N (Halpha + [N II]), F814W (I) Eagle Nebula (right): F435W (B), F555W (V), F502N ([O III]), F658N (Halpha + [N II]), F814W (I) |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Whirlpool Galaxy (left) Blue: F435W (B) Green: F555W (V) Red: F658N (Halpha + [N II]) + F814W (I) Eagle Nebula (right) Blue: F435W (B) + F502N ([O III]) Green: F555W (V) + F658N (Halpha + [N II]) + F502N ([O III]) Red: F658N (Halpha + [N II]) + F814W (I) |
More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov