                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 February 6
   Spiral galaxy NGC 1566 is shown with an image from Hubble primarily in
    visible light on the upper left, and an image from Webb in primarily
     infrared light on the lower right. A rollover image shows the same
       galaxy with the Webb and Hubble parts reversed. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

               NGC 1566: A Spiral Galaxy from Webb and Hubble
     Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Lee (STScI), T.
    Williams (Oxford), R. Chandar (UToledo), D. Calzetti (UMass), PHANGS
                                    Team

   Explanation: What's different about this galaxy? Very little, which
   makes the Spanish Dancer galaxy, NGC 1566, one of the most typical and
   photogenic spirals on the sky. There is something different about this
   galaxy image, though, because it is a diagonal combination of two
   images: one by the Hubble Space Telescope on the upper left, and the
   other by the James Webb Space Telescope on the lower right. The Hubble
   image was taken in ultraviolet light and highlights the locations of
   bright blue stars and dark dust along the galaxy's impressive spiral
   arms. In contrast, the Webb image was taken in infrared light and
   highlights where the same dust emits more light than it absorbed. In
   the rollover image, the other two sides of these images are revealed.
   Blinking between the two images shows which stars are particularly hot
   because they glow brighter in ultraviolet light, and the difference
   between seemingly empty space and infrared-glowing dust.

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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
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