Facing NGC 3344
Explanation:
From our vantage point in the
Milky Way Galaxy, we see
NGC 3344 face-on.
Nearly 40,000 light-years across, the big, beautiful
spiral galaxy
is located just 20 million light-years away in the
constellation of Leo Minor.
This multi-color Hubble Space Telescope
close-up
of NGC 3344 includes remarkable details from near infrared to
ultraviolet wavelengths.
The frame extends some 15,000 light-years across the
spiral's central regions.
From the core outward,
the galaxy's
colors change from the yellowish
light of old stars in the center to young blue star
clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose, fragmented
spiral arms.
Of course, the bright stars with a spiky appearance
are in front of NGC 3344 and lie well within our own Milky Way.
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.
