PIA14097: Galactic Train Wrecks
 Mission:  Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
Spitzer Space Telescope
 Spacecraft:  GALEX Orbiter
 Instrument:  IRAC
Ultraviolet/Visible Camera 
 Product Size:  2853 x 1903 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  IPAC-Caltech
 Other  
Information: 
JPL News Release 2011-159
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA14097.tif (16.29 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA14097.jpg (537.9 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

3-Panel Poster for PIA14097
3-Panel Poster
click here for larger view of NGC 470 and NGC 474click here for larger view of NGC 3448 and UGC 6016click here for larger view of NGC 935 and IC 1801
NGC 470 and NGC 474NGC 3448 and UGC 6016NGC 935 and IC 1801
Click on individual image for larger view

This montage shows three examples of colliding galaxies from a new photo atlas of galactic "train wrecks." The new images combine observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which observes infrared light, and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft, which observes ultraviolet light. By analyzing information from different parts of the light spectrum, scientists can learn much more than from a single wavelength alone, because different components of a galaxy are highlighted.

The panel at far left shows NGC 470 (top) and NGC 474 (bottom); at top right are NGC 3448 and UGC 6016; at bottom right are NGC 935 and IC 1801. In this representative-color image, far-ultraviolet light from GALEX is blue, 3.6-micron light from Spitzer is cyan, 4.5-micron light from Spitzer is green, and red shows light at 5.8 and 8 microns from Spitzer.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

Image Addition Date:
2011-05-25