NGC 1512: A Panchromatic View
Explanation:
This
spectacular color picture of the core of barred spiral
galaxy
NGC 1512 (bottom panel)
is a composite of the seven Hubble Space Telescope images
arrayed along the top.
Each
top panel image was made with a filter and camera
sensitive to a different wavelength band in the
electromagnetic spectrum.
Arranged by increasing wavelength, at the far
left are two ultraviolet images from Hubble's
Faint Object Camera.
Next are two visible light images from its
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2,
followed on the right by three infrared images from the
Near Infrared
Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph.
To make a pleasing
composite color image, blue tones were assigned
to
the invisible ultraviolet, greenish colors were used for
the visible bands, and yellow/red for the invisible infrared band images.
These images show that the center
of
NGC 1512
appears dramatically altered when viewed in different wavelength bands.
In particular, the ultraviolet images highlight clusters of young, hot
stars in a ring 2,400 light-years wide surrounding the core.
What caused this cosmic
starburst ring?
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
