Image sig06-003

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Image Gallery > Astronomical Images > Galaxies and the Universe > sig06-003

NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Kennicutt (U. of Ariz./Inst. of Astr., U. of Cambridge) and the SINGS Team

NGC 4579

Galaxy NGC 4579 was captured by the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey (SINGS) Legacy Project using the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). In this image, the red structures are areas where gas and dust are thought to be forming new stars, while the blue light comes from mature stars. This SINGS image is a four-channel, false-color composite, where blue indicates emission at 3.6 microns, green corresponds to 4.5 microns, and red to 5.8 and 8.0 microns. The contribution from starlight (measured at 3.6 microns) in this picture has been subtracted from the 5.8 and 8 micron images to enhance the visibility of the dust features.

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About the Object (1)
Object name: Messier 58, M58, NGC 4579
Object type: Spiral galaxy
Position (J2000): RA: 12h 37m 43.50s Dec: 11° 49' 5.00"
Distance: z=0.005067 / 20 Mpc / 70 million light-years
Constellation: Virgo

About the Data

Spitzer Data

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Kennicutt (University of Arizona/Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge) and the SINGS Team
Instrument: IRAC
Wavelength: 3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 5.8-8.0 (red) microns
Release Date: 2006/02/09

Observers

Robert Kennicutt, Principal Investigator (University of Arizona/Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge)
Lee Armus (Spitzer Science Center, Caltech)
Brent Buckalew (Caltech)
George Bendo (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
Daniela Calzetti (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Daniel Dale (University of Wyoming)
Bruce Draine (Princeton University)
Charles Engelbracht (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
Karl Gordon (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
George Helou (Caltech)
David Hollenbach (NASA Ames Research Center)
Thomas Jarrett (Caltech)
Lisa Kewley (University of Hawaii)
Claus Leitherer (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Aigen Li (University of Missouri-Columbia)
Sangeeta Malhotra (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Helene McLaughlin (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Martin Meyer (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Eric Murphy (Yale University)
Michael Regan (Space Telescope Science Institute)
George Rieke (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
Marcia Rieke (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
H�l�ne Roussel (Spitzer Science Center, Caltech)
Kartik Sheth (Caltech)
John-David Smith (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
Michele D. Thornley (Bucknell University, Space Telescope Science Institute)
Fabian Walter (MPIA Heidelberg)

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