The Infrared Face of the Phantom Galaxy (M74)

Spitzer_ssc2023-01a_1024

spitzer_ssc2023-01a April 24th, 2023

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Messier 74, also known as the Phantom Galaxy, is seen here in infrared light which showcases its sweeping spiral arms and star-forming regions. This image was created using archival data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, revealing dust clouds that, in visible light, appear dark.

Messier 74 is an archetype of the "grand design" spiral galaxy and is nearly face-on to our view, providing a perfect view of its structure. In this infrared image, the light from stars appears blue, as stars are brightest at shorter wavelengths of infrared light and less visible at longer wavelengths. The dust clouds, which light up at longer wavelengths of light, are rendered as red.

Filamentary dust clouds are a feature of spiral arms, and help to trace regions where gas reaches higher densities and can lead to the formation of stars.

The galaxy is located in the Pisces constellation and is situated about 30 million light-years away. It has a visible diameter of approximately 10 arc minutes, which is about a third as wide as the full moon. However, its low surface brightness makes it too faint to be seen with the naked eye and makes it a challenging target even for small backyard telescopes.

In this image, infrared light at wavelengths of 3.6, 4.5, and 8.0 microns is displayed as blue, green, and red, respectively.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/image/ssc2023-01a-the-infrared-face-of-the-phantom-galaxy-m74

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/page/image-use-policy

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Phantom Galaxy M74
Subject - Local Universe
Galaxy > Type > Spiral

Distance

Universescale2
30,000,000 light years
Spitzer_ssc2023-01a_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 1h 36m 41.8s
DEC = 15° 47’ 1.9”
Orientation
North is 20.9° CCW
Field of View
11.6 x 11.6 arcminutes
Constellation
Pisces

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 3.6 µm
Green Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 4.5 µm
Red Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 8.0 µm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Green
Red
Spitzer_ssc2023-01a_1280
×
ID
ssc2023-01a
Subject Category
C.5.1.1.  
Subject Name
Phantom Galaxy, M74
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Release Date
2023-04-24
Lightyears
30,000,000
Redshift
30,000,000
Reference Url
https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/image/ssc2023-01a-the-infrared-face-of-the-phantom-galaxy-m74
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer
Instrument
IRAC, IRAC, IRAC
Color Assignment
Blue, Green, Red
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Near-IR, Near-IR, Mid-IR
Central Wavelength
3600, 4500, 8000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
Reference Value
24.1739767, 15.7838602
Reference Dimension
1850.0, 1850.0
Reference Pixel
926.0, 926.0
Scale
-0.000104317, 0.00010431737
Rotation
20.90
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
WCS retrieved using CXCs PinpointWCS
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/page/image-use-policy
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
Metadata Date
2023-04-26T00:11:57Z
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
30,000,000 light years

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