Central Bulges of Spiral Galaxies (Hubble and Ground-Based Views)
This image shows how the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is feeding material into its central region, igniting massive star birth and probably causing its bulge of stars to grow. The material also is fueling a black hole in the galaxy's core. A galaxy's bulge is a central, football-shaped structure composed of stars, gas, and dust. The dark material surrounding the center of the galaxy is gas and dust that is being funneled into the central region by the bar. The blue regions pinpoint young star clusters.
This collage of images in visible and infrared light reveals how the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is feeding material into its central region, igniting massive star birth and probably causing its bulge of stars to grow. The material also is fueling a black hole in the galaxy's core. A galaxy's bulge is a central, football-shaped structure composed of stars, gas, and dust.
Credit:Allan Sandage (The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington) and John Bedke (Computer Sciences Corporation and the Space Telescope Science Institute), NASA, ESA, and Reynier Peletier (University of Nottingham, United Kingdom)
About the Image
| Id: | heic9902b |
| Type: | Collage |
| Release date: | 6 October 1999, 15:00 |
| Related releases: | heic9902 |
| Size: | 3001 x 2401 px |
About the Object
| Name: | IRAS 03317-3618, NGC 1365 |
| Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral Local Universe : Galaxy : Component : Bulge |
| Distance: | 60 million light years |
| Category: | Galaxies |
Colours & filters
| Band | Telescope |
|---|---|
| Infrared |
Hubble Space Telescope
NICMOS |
| Optical |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |