M74：完美的螺旋星系

2021年8月13日

A Perfect Spiral
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Mehmet Hakan Ozsarac

Explanation: If not perfect then this spiral galaxy is at least one of the most photogenic. An island universe of about 100 billion stars, 32 million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces, M74 presents a gorgeous face-on view. Classified as an Sc galaxy, the grand design of M74’s graceful spiral arms are traced by bright blue star clusters and dark cosmic dust lanes. This sharp composite was constructed from image data recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Spanning about 30,000 light-years across the face of M74, it includes exposures recording emission from hydrogen atoms, highlighting the reddish glow of the galaxy’s large star-forming regions. With a lower surface brightness than most galaxies in the Messier catalog, M74 is sometimes known as the Phantom Galaxy.

Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend

M74：完美的螺旋星系
影像提供: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; 影像处理: Mehmet Hakan Ozsarac

说明: 如果它还不够完美，那这个螺旋星系至少是最上相者之一。拥有约1千亿颗恒星的宇宙岛M74，是双鱼座方向离我们约3千2百万光年远的壮丽正向星系。分类为Sc星系的M74，它宏伟且优雅的螺旋臂上镶着明亮的泛蓝星团和黝黑的尘埃带。这幅清晰的组合影像，则建构自哈勃太空望远镜先进巡天相机拍摄的影像数据。这幅呈现M74面上约30,000光年区域的影像，整合了记录氢原子辐射的照片，以突显此星系大型恒星形成区的泛红辉光。M74的表面亮度低于梅西叶星表收录的大多数星系，因此它亦有幽灵星系的称号。

明日的图片: light-weekend