Radio Telescope Reveal the Cold Hydrogen Gas in M33
In this combined optical and radio image, the faint galaxy in the constellation Triangulum looks like lace hanging in the sky. Also known as M33, the Triangulum Galaxy is part of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes the Andromeda Galaxy and our galaxy, the Milky Way. M33 is over thirty thousand light years across, and more than two million light years away. The optical data in this image (white) show the many stars within the galaxy as well as reddish star forming regions that are filled with hot Hydrogen gas. The radio data (colored pink) from the Very Large Array (VLA) reveal the cool Hydrogen gas within the galaxy, gas which cannot be seen with an optical telescope. Combined together, the radio and optical give a more comprehensive view of star formation in this galaxy.
| Technical Details | |
|---|---|
| Telescope | UK Schmidt; UK Schmidt; UK Schmidt; VLA; VLA |
| Band | B; R; V; L; L |
| Date | 2012-04-25T16:35:43-04:00; 2012-04-25T16:35:52-04:00; 2012-04-25T16:35:33-04:00; 1998-06-11T16:56:02.1; 1998-05-11T01:05:51.6 |
| Center | RA: 1:33:50.9, Dec: 30:39:35.79 |
| Field of View | 114.41 x 114.41 arcminutes |
