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Image of the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) combines data in the infrared, visible, ultraviolet and X-rays from four of NASA's space-based telescopes. This multi-spectral view shows that both young and old stars are evenly distributed along M101's tightly-wound spiral arms. M101 is a swirling spiral of stars, gas, and dust n the constellation of Ursa Major, and sits at a distance of 21 million light-years from Earth. The hottest and most energetic areas in this composite image are shown in purple, where the Chandra X-ray Observatory observed the X-ray emission from exploded stars, million-degree gas, and material colliding around black holes. The red colors in the image show infrared light, as seen by the SST. These areas show the heat emitted by dusty lanes in the galaxy, where stars are forming. The yellow component is visible light, observed by the HST. Most of this light comes from stars, and they trace the same spiral structure as the dust lanes seen in the infrared. The blue areas are ultraviolet light, given out by hot, young stars that formed about 1 million years ago, captured by the GALEX. Release date May 24, 2012.
