
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.
Credits
NASA, Jet Propulsion Lab/Caltech, and K. Gordon (STScI)About The Object | |
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Object Name | M101, NGC 4547, The Pinwheel Galaxy |
Object Description | Face-on Spiral Galaxy |
R.A. Position | 14h 3m 13.0s |
Dec. Position | 54° 20' 52.99" |
Constellation | Ursa Major |
Distance | 21.8 million light-years (6.7 megaparsecs) |
Dimensions | This image is 18 arcminutes (114,000 light-years or 35,000 parsecs) wide. |
About The Data | |
Data Description | 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). |
Instrument | Spitzer>IRA and Spitzer>MIPS |
Exposure Dates | Mar 8, 2004 and May 10/11, 2004 |
Filters | 85 sec/pixel (IRAC and; 200 sec/pixel (MIPS 24 micron) |
About The Image | |
Color Info | Red: 85 sec/pixel (IRAC) and 200 sec/pixel (MIPS 24 micron) |
About The Object | |
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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 |
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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. |