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Extended Spiral Arms
The Southern Pinwheel
M-83 in Hydra
Super stretch of luminance data
This image presents a two-panel mosaic of 2006 and 2007 luminance exposures, produced with a clear filter, that represent the "brightness" or monochrome signal recorded by the camera. The image was used for a proposed research project to determine the nature of the large loop seen near the bottom of the picture.
First seen by David Malin in an image produced at the Anglo-Australian Observatory, subsequent investigations involving the GALEX ultra-violet telescope and, more recently, the Very Large Array in New Mexico, suggest that this structure is most likely part of an extensive set of faint, far flung spiral arms belonging to M83.
Mouse-over the clear filter, gray-scale image to see an aligned, composite picture produced by GALEX and the VLA. Galex observations contributed the blue and green portions of the picture. Each color represents a unique ultraviolet wavelength that can be used to identify emissions from young, hot stars. The ruby hued features, supplied by data from the VLA, reveal gaseous hydrogen atoms- the raw ingredients of stars.
Note that some of the features seen in the clear luminance image have no analog in the narrow band, color mouse-over picture (and vice versa). This is because many of the stars and other structures are not visible, or are much attenuated, when viewed through filters that only permit narrow radiation wavelengths to pass through, to the camera.
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May 27- June 20, 2006, April 7- 21, 2007
RCOS 20- inch, SBIG STL-11000
Two panel mosaic- 615 minutes Luminance combined with 120 minutes Red, 72 minutes Green and 162 minutes Blue (All 1X1)
Mouseover image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/VLA/MPIA
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