Hubble-Spitzer composite of the galactic centre (full-field)
This composite colour infrared image combines the sharp imaging of the Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) with colour imagery from a previous Spitzer Space Telescope survey done with its Infrared Astronomy Camera (IRAC).
This combination gives a clear picture of the centre of the Milky Way galaxy and reveals a new population of massive stars and new details in the complex structures in the hot ionized gas swirling around the central 300 light-years
Credit:NASA, ESA, Q.D. Wang (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) and S. Stolovy (Caltech)
About the Image
About the Object
| Name: | Milky Way |
|---|---|
| Type: | Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Center/Core |
| Distance: | 25000 light years |
| Constellation: | Sagittarius |
| Category: | Galaxies |
Image Formats
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 17 45 29.95 |
|---|---|
| Position (Dec): | -28° 59' 18.78" |
| Field of view: | 40.68 x 15.77 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 58.6° left of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Infrared Near-IR | 3.6 μm | Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC |
| Infrared Near-IR | 4.5 μm | Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC |
| Infrared Near-IR | 5.8 μm | Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC |
| Infrared Near-IR |
Hubble Space Telescope
NICMOS | |
| Infrared Near-IR | 8.0 μm | Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC |