Pinwheel firework

In this picture of the week we can see the well-defined arms of the spiral galaxy NGC 4254, also known as the Coma Pinwheel or Messier 99. It’s called a grand design spiral galaxy because of its distinctive pinwheel shape with prominent arms. Since Charles Messier first observed it in the 18th century, modern technology has allowed us to observe galaxies like this in significantly greater detail.

This image is a composite of data taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), co-owned by ESO. The VLT data, shown in blue and purple tones, was captured with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument, mapping the distribution of stars. The ALMA data –– shown here by the red and orange regions –– originates from cold clouds of gas which can eventually collapse into stars. Comparing these two datasets allows for a better understanding of how stars form.

This image was taken as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) survey, which produces high-resolution images of nearby galaxies across all wavelengths of light. This will allow astronomers to learn more about the diverse range of galactic environments found in our Universe.

Źródło:

ESO/PHANGS

O zdjęciu

Identyfikator:potw2243a
Typ:Obserwacje
Data publikacji:24 października 2022 06:00
Rozmiar:932 x 800 px

O obiekcie

Nazwa:NGC 4254
Typ:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Constellation:Coma Berenices
Kategoria:Galaxies

Formaty zdjęć

Wielki JPEG
229,4 KB

Powiększenie


Tapety

1024x768
231,5 KB
1280x1024
322,9 KB
1600x1200
408,0 KB
1920x1200
438,1 KB
2048x1536
558,4 KB

Współrzędne

Pozycja (RA):12 18 50.75
Pozycja (Dec):14° 25' 15.75"
Pole widzenia:3.10 x 2.67 arcminutes
Orientacja:North is 89.9° lewo of vertical

Kolory i filtry

PasmoDługość faliTeleskop
Optyczny
G
475 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optyczny
R
625 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Milimetrowy
CO [2–1]
1.2 mmAtacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
Band 6
Optyczny
I
775 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE