NGC 4303 as seen with MUSE on ESO’s VLT at several wavelengths of light

This image, taken by the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the nearby galaxy NGC 4303. NGC 4303 is a spiral galaxy, with a bar of stars and gas at its centre, located approximately 55 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. The image is an overlay of observations conducted at different wavelengths of light to map stellar populations and warm gas. The golden glows mainly correspond to clouds of ionised hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur gas, marking the presence of newly born stars, while the bluish regions in the background reveal the distribution of slightly older stars.  

The image was taken as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project, which is making high-resolution observations of nearby galaxies with telescopes operating across the electromagnetic spectrum

Credit:

ESO/PHANGS

About the Image

Id:eso2110b
Type:Observation
Release date:16 July 2021, 14:00
Related releases:eso2110
Size:888 x 884 px

About the Object

Name:Messier 61, NGC 4303
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Constellation:Virgo
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

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252.0 KB
Screensize JPEG
231.7 KB

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Coordinates

Position (RA):12 21 54.89
Position (Dec):4° 28' 24.88"
Field of view:2.96 x 2.95 arcminutes
Orientation:North is -0.0° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
OIII
499 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optical
G
475 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optical
R
625 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optical
SII
673 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optical
H-alpha
656 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE
Optical
I
775 nmVery Large Telescope
MUSE