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PIA25162: Large Magellanic Cloud Imaged by Herschel, Planck, IRAS, COBE
 Mission:  Herschel Space Observatory
 Product Size:  13000 x 13000 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  European Space Agency (ESA)
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA25162.tif (291.7 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA25162.jpg (6.089 MB)

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:

The Large Magellanic Cloud, shown here, is a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. The image includes data from the ESA (European Space Agency) Herschel mission, supplemented with data from ESA's retired Planck observatory and two retired NASA missions: the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE).

Operated from 2009 to 2013, Herschel detected wavelengths of light in the far-infrared and microwave ranges, and was ideal for studying dust in nearby galaxies because it could capture small-scale structures in the dust clouds in high resolution. However, Herschel often couldn't detect light from diffuse dust clouds – especially in the outer regions of galaxies, where the gas and dust become sparse and thus fainter. As a result, the mission missed up to 30% of all the light given off by dust. Combining the Herschel observations with data from other observatories creates a more complete picture of the dust in the galaxy.

In the image, red indicates hydrogen gas; green indicates cold dust; and warmer dust is shown in blue. Launched in 1983, IRAS was the first space telescope to detect infrared light, setting the stage for future observatories like NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. The Planck observatory, launched in 2009, and COBE, launched in 1989, both studied the cosmic microwave background, or light left over from the big bang.

The hydrogen gas was detected using three radio telescopes run by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia: the Parkes Radio Telescope, the Mopra Radio Telescope, and the Australia Compact Telescope Array.

Image Credit:
ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/CSIRO/C. Clark (STScI)

Image Addition Date:
2022-06-16