October 13th 05, 11:32 PM
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Gay Yee Hill (818) 354-0344
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Image Advisory: 2005-159 October
13, 2005
Lady in Red: Andromeda Galaxy Shines in Spitzer's Eyes
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a stunning infrared view of
Messier 31, the famous spiral galaxy also known as Andromeda.
Andromeda is the most-studied galaxy outside our own Milky Way, yet
Spitzer's
sensitive infrared eyes have detected captivating new features,
including bright,
aging stars and a spiral arc in the center of the galaxy. The infrared
image also
reveals an off-centered ring of star formation and a hole in the
galaxy's spiral
disk of arms. These asymmetrical features may have been caused by
interactions
with the several satellite galaxies that surround Andromeda.
"Occasionally small satellite galaxies run straight through bigger
galaxies," said
Dr. Karl Gordon of the Steward Observatory, University of Arizona,
Tucson,
lead investigator of the new observation. "It appears a little galaxy
punched a
hole through Andromeda's disk, much like a pebble breaks the surface of
a
pond."
The new false-color Andromeda image is available at
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer/ .
Approximately 2.5 million light-years away, Andromeda is the closest
spiral
galaxy and is the only one visible to the naked eye. Unlike our Milky
Way
galaxy, which we view from the inside, Andromeda is studied from the
outside.
Astronomers believe that Andromeda and the Milky Way will eventually
merge
together.
Spitzer detects dust heated by stars in the galaxy. Its multiband
imaging
photometer's 24-micron detector recorded approximately 11,000 separate
infrared snapshots over 18 hours to create the new comprehensive
mosaic. This
instrument's resolution and sensitivity is a vast improvement over
previous
infrared technologies, enabling scientists to trace the spiral
structures within
Andromeda to an unprecedented level of detail.
"In contrast to the smooth appearance of Andromeda at optical
wavelengths, the
Spitzer image reveals a well-defined nuclear bulge and a system of
spiral arms,"
said Dr. Susan Stolovy, a co-investigator from the Spitzer Science
Center at the
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
The galaxy's central bulge glows in the light emitted by warm dust from
old,
giant stars. Just outside the bulge, a system of inner spiral arms can
be seen, and
outside this, a well-known prominent ring of star formation.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer
mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science
operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the
California Institute
of Technology. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a division of Caltech.
-end-
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Gay Yee Hill (818) 354-0344
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Image Advisory: 2005-159 October
13, 2005
Lady in Red: Andromeda Galaxy Shines in Spitzer's Eyes
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a stunning infrared view of
Messier 31, the famous spiral galaxy also known as Andromeda.
Andromeda is the most-studied galaxy outside our own Milky Way, yet
Spitzer's
sensitive infrared eyes have detected captivating new features,
including bright,
aging stars and a spiral arc in the center of the galaxy. The infrared
image also
reveals an off-centered ring of star formation and a hole in the
galaxy's spiral
disk of arms. These asymmetrical features may have been caused by
interactions
with the several satellite galaxies that surround Andromeda.
"Occasionally small satellite galaxies run straight through bigger
galaxies," said
Dr. Karl Gordon of the Steward Observatory, University of Arizona,
Tucson,
lead investigator of the new observation. "It appears a little galaxy
punched a
hole through Andromeda's disk, much like a pebble breaks the surface of
a
pond."
The new false-color Andromeda image is available at
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer/ .
Approximately 2.5 million light-years away, Andromeda is the closest
spiral
galaxy and is the only one visible to the naked eye. Unlike our Milky
Way
galaxy, which we view from the inside, Andromeda is studied from the
outside.
Astronomers believe that Andromeda and the Milky Way will eventually
merge
together.
Spitzer detects dust heated by stars in the galaxy. Its multiband
imaging
photometer's 24-micron detector recorded approximately 11,000 separate
infrared snapshots over 18 hours to create the new comprehensive
mosaic. This
instrument's resolution and sensitivity is a vast improvement over
previous
infrared technologies, enabling scientists to trace the spiral
structures within
Andromeda to an unprecedented level of detail.
"In contrast to the smooth appearance of Andromeda at optical
wavelengths, the
Spitzer image reveals a well-defined nuclear bulge and a system of
spiral arms,"
said Dr. Susan Stolovy, a co-investigator from the Spitzer Science
Center at the
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
The galaxy's central bulge glows in the light emitted by warm dust from
old,
giant stars. Just outside the bulge, a system of inner spiral arms can
be seen, and
outside this, a well-known prominent ring of star formation.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer
mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science
operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the
California Institute
of Technology. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a division of Caltech.
-end-