A hypnotic golden spiral

This image features the spectacular galaxy NGC 4254, also known as Messier 99. It’s an example of a grand design spiral galaxy, featuring strong, prominent, well-defined arms that wrap clearly around the galaxy’s centre.

Messier 99 is located 49 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Coma Berenices. Here it was imaged in exquisite detail by the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is a combination of observations conducted in different colours, or wavelengths, of light, showing clouds of gas ionised by newly born stars. Hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur gas are shown in red, blue and orange respectively.

The image was taken as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project, which is making high-resolution observations of nearby galaxies across all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum to understand the life-cycle of star formation in galaxies.

Credit:

ESO/PHANGS

About the Image

Id:potw2211a
Type:Observation
Release date:14 March 2022, 06:00
Size:1172 x 800 px

About the Object

Name:NGC 4254
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Distance:50 million light years
Constellation:Coma Berenices
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

Large JPEG
401.9 KB
Screensize JPEG
236.2 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
377.3 KB
1280x1024
495.0 KB
1600x1200
661.5 KB
1920x1200
742.9 KB
2048x1536
957.2 KB

Coordinates

Position (RA):12 18 50.64
Position (Dec):14° 25' 22.80"
Field of view:3.91 x 2.67 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 90.0° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
O III
499 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optical
SII
673 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optical
H-alpha
656 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE