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NASA’s Great Observatories Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy
In 1609, Galileo improved the newly invented telescope, turned it toward the heavens, and revolutionized our view of the universe. In celebration of the 400th anniversary of this milestone, 2009 has been designated as the International Year of Astronomy.
Today, NASA's Great Observatories are continuing Galileo's legacy with stunning images and breakthrough science from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
While Galileo observed the sky using visible light seen by the human eye, technology now allows us to observe in many wavelengths, including Spitzer's infrared view and Chandra's view in X-rays. Each wavelength region shows different aspects of celestial objects and often reveals new objects that could not otherwise be studied.
This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 is a composite of views from Spitzer, Hubble, and Chandra.
• 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.
In the four centuries since Galileo, astronomy has changed dramatically. Yet our curiosity and quest for knowledge remain the same. So, too, does our wonder at the splendor of the universe.
The International Year of Astronomy Great Observatories Image Unveiling is supported by the NASA Science Mission Directorate Astrophysics Division. The project is a collaboration between the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Spitzer Science Center, and the Chandra X-ray Center.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.14h 3m 13.0s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.54° 20' 52.99"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Ursa Major
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.21.8 million light-years (6.7 megaparsecs)
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.This image is 18 arcminutes (114,000 light-years or 35,000 parsecs) wide.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.Spitzer data (right-top): 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 (right-center): This image was created from HST data from the following proposals: 9490: K. Kuntz (Johns Hopkins University) 9492: F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii) 5210: J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) 5397: J. Mould (NOAO) 6829: 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 (right-bottom): The science team was led by K. Kuntz (Johns Hopkins University). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.Spitzer>IRAC, Spitzer>MIPS, HST>ACS/WFC, HST>WFPC2, and CXO>ACIS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.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)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.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
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.M101, NGC 5457, The Pinwheel Galaxy
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Face-on Spiral Galaxy
- Release DateFebruary 10, 2009
- Science ReleaseNASA’s Great Observatories Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy with a National Unveiling of Spectacular Images
- Credits
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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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
