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Messier 74


Date: 28 November 2007
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: M74, NGC 628
Copyright: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

In the new Hubble image of the galaxy M74 we can also see a smattering of bright pink regions decorating the spiral arms. These are huge, relatively short-lived, clouds of hydrogen gas which glow due to the strong radiation from hot, young stars embedded within them; glowing pink regions of ionized hydrogen. These regions of star formation show an excess of light at ultraviolet wavelengths and astronomers call them HII regions.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
16-Mar-2026 20:33 UT

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