Poster Version
NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer Mission celebrates its sixth anniversary
studying galaxies beyond our Milky Way through its sensitive ultraviolet
telescope, the only such far-ultraviolet detector in space.
The mission studies the shape, brightness, size and distance of distant
galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history, giving scientists a
wealth of data to help us better understand the origins of the universe.
One such object is pictured here, the galaxy NGC598, more commonly known
as M33.
The image shows a map of the recent star formation history of M33. The
bright blue and white areas are where star formation has been extremely
active over the past few million years. The patches of yellow and gold are
regions where star formation was more active 100 million years ago.
In addition, the ultraviolet image shows the most massive young stars in
M33. These stars burn their large supply of hydrogen fuel quickly, burning
hot and bright while emitting most of their energy at ultraviolet
wavelengths. Compared with low-mass stars like our sun, which live for
billions of years, these massive stars never reach old age, having a
lifespan as short as a few million years.
The California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, Calif., leads the
Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission and is responsible for science
operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also in
Pasadena, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The
mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program managed by the
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. South Korea and France are the
mission's international partners.
For information about the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, go to: http://www.galex.caltech.edu.