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Poster Version |
Figure 1 |
Figure 2 |
Click on an individual image for larger view
These images are some of the first to be taken during Spitzer's warm
mission -- a new phase that began after the telescope, which operated for
more than five-and-a-half years, ran out of liquid coolant. The pictures
were snapped with the two infrared channels that still work at Spitzer's
still-quite-chilly temperature of 30 Kelvin (about minus 406 degrees
Fahrenheit). The two infrared channels are part of Spitzer's infrared
array camera: 3.6-micron light is blue and 4.5-micron light is orange.
The main image shows a cloud, known as DR22, bursting with new stars in
the Cygnus region of the sky. Spitzer's infrared eyes can see dust, and
see through dust, giving it a unique view into star-forming nests. The
blue areas are dusty clouds, and the orange is mainly hot gas.
Figure 1 shows a relatively calm galaxy called NGC 4145. This galaxy has
already made most of its stars and has little star-forming activity. It is
located 68 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici.
Blue shows starlight and dust.
Figure 2 shows a dying star called NGC 4361. This star was once a lot like
our sun, before it evolved and puffed out its outer layers. The object,
called a planetary nebula, is unusual in that it has four lobes, or jets,
of ejected material instead of the standard two. Astronomers suspect that
there might be two dying stars inside the nebula, each producing a bipolar
jet. Orange primarily shows heated gas.
The new pictures were taken while the telescope was being re-commissioned,
on July 18 (NGC 4145, NGC 4361) and July 21 (Cygnus), 2009.