PIA07828: Classic Galaxy with Glamour
Young hot blue stars dominate the outer spiral arms of nearby galaxy NGC 300, while the older stars congregate in the nuclear regions which appear yellow-green in this image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer.
 Target Name:  NGC 300
 Mission:  Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) 
 Spacecraft:  GALEX Orbiter
 Instrument:  Ultraviolet/Visible Camera 
 Product Size:  1273 x 967 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  California Institute of Technology 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA07828.tif (2.546 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA07828.jpg (148.3 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:

This color composite image of nearby NGC 300 combines the visible-light pictures from Carnegie Institution of Washington's 100-inch telescope at Las Campanas Observatory (colored red and yellow), with ultraviolet views from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Galaxy Evolution Explorer detectors image far ultraviolet light (colored blue).

This composite image traces star formation in progress. Young hot blue stars dominate the outer spiral arms of the galaxy, while the older stars congregate in the nuclear regions which appear yellow-green. Gases heated by hot young stars and shocks due to winds from massive stars and supernova explosions appear in pink, as revealed by the visible-light image of the galaxy.

Located nearly 7 million light years away, NGC 300 is a member of a nearby group of galaxies known as the Sculptor Group. It is a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/OCIW

Image Addition Date:
2005-04-11