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Back Herschel's test view of M51

Herschel's test view of M51


Date: 19 June 2009
Satellite: Herschel
Depicts: Composite PACS image of spiral galaxy M51
Copyright: ESA and the PACS consortium

A three-colour far-infrared image of M51, the whirlpool galaxy. Red, green and blue correspond to the 160-micron, 100-micron and 70-micron wavelength bands of the Herschel's Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer, PACS.

Glowing light from clouds of dust and gas around and between the stars is visible clearly. These clouds are a reservoir of raw material for ongoing star formation in this galaxy. Blue indicates regions of warm dust that is heated by young stars, while the colder dust shows up in red.

Last Update: 1 September 2019
21-Apr-2026 23:25 UT

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