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Spitzer View of Andromeda Galaxy

Spitzer_sig06-025a_1024

spitzer_sig06-025a October 18th, 2006

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/D. Block (Anglo American Cosmic Dust Lab, SA)

Astronomers have new evidence that the Andromeda spiral galaxy was involved in a violent head-on collision with the neighboring dwarf galaxy Messier 32 (M32) more than 200 million years ago. Infrared photographs taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealed a never-before-seen dust ring deep within the Andromeda galaxy. When combined with a previously observed outer ring, the presence of both dust rings suggests that M32 plunged through the disk of Andromeda along Andromeda's polar axis approximately 210 million years ago.

This image was obtained by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) at a wavelength of 8.0 microns.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2218-sig06-025a-Spitzer-View-of-the-Andromeda-Galaxy-

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy

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Image Details

Image Type: Observation
Object Name: Andromeda Galaxy • Messier 31 • M31 • NGC 224
Subject - Local Universe: Galaxy > Type > Spiral

Distance

Universescale2

2,500,000 light years

Spitzer_sig06-025a_128

Position Details

Position (ICRS): RA = 0h 43m 31.8s; DEC = 41° 26’ 21.9”
Orientation: North is 49.8° CCW
Field of View: 2.4 x 0.8 degrees
Constellation: Andromeda

Color Mapping

	Telescope	Spectral Band	Wavelength
	Spitzer (IRAC)	Infrared (Near-IR)	8.0 µm

Spectrum_base

Pseudocolor

Spitzer_sig06-025a_1280

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ID: sig06-025a
Subject Category: C.5.1.1.
Subject Name: Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31, M31, NGC 224
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/D. Block (Anglo American Cosmic Dust Lab, SA)

Release Date: 2006-10-18
Lightyears: 2,500,000
Redshift
Reference Url: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2218-sig06-025a-Spitzer-View-of-the-Andromeda-Galaxy-

Type: Observation
Image Quality: Good
Distance Notes: Distance taken from Fast Facts.

Facility: Spitzer
Instrument: IRAC
Color Assignment: Pseudocolor

Band: Infrared
Bandpass: Near-IR
Central Wavelength: 8000

Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes

Coordinate Frame: ICRS
Equinox: J2000
Reference Value: 10.882683342296053, 41.439415112159445
Reference Dimension: 3685, 1205

Reference Pixel: 1842.5, 602.5
Scale: -0.00064806472363583458, 0.00064806472363583458
Rotation: 49.8104269629
Coordinate System Projection:: TAN

Quality: Full
FITS Header
Notes

Creator (Curator): Spitzer Space Telescope
URL: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name: Spitzer Space Telescope
Email

Telephone
Address: 1200 E. California Blvd.
City: Pasadena
State/Province: CA

Postal Code: 91125
Country: USA
Rights: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy

Publisher: Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID: spitzer
Resource ID: sig06-025a.tif

Resource URL: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/uploaded_files/images/0001/5449/sig06-025a.tif
Related Resources

Metadata Date: 2012-02-07
Metadata Version: 1.1

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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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2,500,000 light years

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NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The award is part of NASA’s Science Activation program, which strives to further enable NASA science experts and content into the learning environment more effectively and efficiently with learners of all ages.