Image ssc2008-14b

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Image Gallery > Astronomical Images > Galaxies and the Universe > ssc2008-14b

NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI

Pinwheel Looks 'Fab' in Infrared

The tangled arms of the Pinwheel galaxy, otherwise known as Messier 101, are decked out in red in this new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

The Pinwheel galaxy is located 27 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is what's called a flocculent spiral, which means that its spiral arms are not well defined.

The red color shows the dust, while the blue glow around the galaxy is from starlight.

In this infrared composite, blue indicates light with a wavelength of 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) has been subtracted from the 5.8- and 8-micron images to enhance the visibility of the dust features.

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Screen-Resolution (450x450) : JPEG (35 KB)
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About the Object (1)
Object name: M101 NGC 5457 Pinwheel Galaxy
Object type: SABcd
Position (J2000): RA: 14h 03m 12.59s Dec: 54° 20' 56.70"
Distance: 6.7 Mpc
Constellation: Ursa Major

About the Data

Spitzer Data

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI
Instrument: IRAC
Exposure Date: 8 Mar 2004
Exposure Time: 85 sec/pixel
Release Date: 2008/07/21

Observers

Karl D. Gordon (STScI)
Charles W. Engelbracht (University of Arizona)
George H. Rieke (University of Arizona)
K. A. Misselt (University of Arizona)
J.-D. T. Smith (University of Arizona)
Robert C. Kennicutt Jr. (University of Cambridge)

Additional Info

Press Release: Spitzer Reveals 'No Organics' Zone Around Pinwheel Galaxy

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