Multi-Spectral, Composite View Reveals the Pinwheel Galaxy

Using data from a multitude of observatories, researchers have recently been able to collect an amazing image of the famous Pinwheel Galaxy, which is also known to astronomers as M101. Four NASA telescopes contributed data to this multi-spectral view of the wonderful object.

Located in the constellation Ursa Major, the Pinwheel is around 70 percent larger than the Milky Way, boasting a diameter of 170,000 light-years, as opposed to our galaxy's measly 100,000 light-years. The structure is located some 21 million light-years away from Earth.

In order to compile this image, astronomers used data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope (optical), the Spitzer Space Telescope (infrared) and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (ultraviolet wavelengths).

The most prominent features in the new image are the Pinwheel's tightly wound spiral arms, which look amazing in this photo. The multiple wavelengths included in this view provide one of the most detailed accounts of the galaxy ever produced.