An infrared image of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 1569. Starburst galaxies undergo periods of intense star formation. The starburst activity in NGC 1569 is concentrated into three giant regions which are clearly visible as three red knots in the false color image.
These same starburst regions likely contain the massive X-ray binary stars which may be responsible for part of the mysterious X-ray background that permeates the universe.
This image was obtained with the Kitt Peak National Observatory 1.3 meter telescope, in Arizona. The infrared digital camera, developed at NOAO, sees Infrared light at a wavelength of 1.6 microns.
This Image was presented to the meeting of the American Astronomical Society In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 15, 1991.
Credits
Credit: Antonelia Fruscione, Richard Grifliths and John MacKenty (STScI)| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 1569 |
| R.A. Position | 04h 30m 49.3s |
| Dec. Position | 64° 50' 52.69" |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The 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. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
