Minsex: This image shows the
Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy in
infrared light as seen by the
Herschel Space Observatory, a
European Space Agency-led mission with important
NASA contributions, and
NASA's
Spitzer Space Telescope. In the instruments' combined data, this nearby
dwarf galaxy looks like a fiery, circular explosion. Rather than fire, however, those ribbons are actually giant ripples of
dust spanning tens or hundreds of
light-years. Significant fields of
star formation are noticeable in the center, just left of center and at right. The brightest center-left region is called
30 Doradus, or the
Tarantula Nebula, for its appearance in
visible light. The colors in this image indicate temperatures in the
dust that permeates the
Cloud. Colder regions show where
star formation is at its earliest stages or is shut off, while warm expanses point to new
stars heating surrounding
dust. The coolest areas and objects appear in red, corresponding to
infrared light taken up by
Herschel's
Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver at 250
microns, or millionths of a meter.
Herschel's
Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer fills out the mid-temperature bands, shown here in green, at 100 and 160 microns. The warmest spots appear in blue, courtesy of 24- and 70-micron data from.
Photo credit:
ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI,
Spitzer.
Source: Minsex