Hubble image archive

Construction of the Individual Great Observatories M101 Images

These steps combine data from each of NASA's three Great Observatories into a separate color composite image. At the left are separate images from three different regions of infrared light from the Spitzer Space Telescope (top), three images from different regions of visible ligh...

Date
Jan 1, 2009
Mission
Hubble Space Telescope
Archive ID
hubblesite-images-2009-07-2484-image
By

These steps combine data from each of NASA's three Great Observatories into a separate color composite image. At the left are separate images from three different regions of infrared light from the Spitzer Space Telescope (top), three images from different regions of visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope (middle), and three different regions of x-ray light from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (bottom). Each of the three images from each observatory is assigned a color according to its wavelength (energy). Red for the reddest (lowest energy) light, green for intermediate wavelengths, and blue for the bluest light (highest energy). These three separate color images can blend together to see the light from a full range of light in each energy region.

Credits

NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

Image Details

About The Object
Object NameM101, NGC 5457, The Pinwheel Galaxy
Object DescriptionFace-on Spiral Galaxy
R.A. Position14h 3m 13.0s
Dec. Position54° 20' 52.99"
ConstellationUrsa Major
Distance21.8 million light-years (6.7 megaparsecs)
DimensionsThis image is 18 arcminutes (114,000 light-years or 35,000 parsecs) wide.
About The Data
Data DescriptionSpitzer 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).
InstrumentSpitzer>IRAC, Spitzer>MIPS, HST>ACS/WFC, HST>WFPC2, and CXO>ACIS
Exposure DatesMar 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)
FiltersSpitzer: 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

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