Pinwheel in
Multiwavelength

M101 or Pinwheel Galaxy resides in the constellation of Ursa Major with a diameter of 170 000 light years across, which is 70% larger than our home galaxy.

This painting depicts the galaxy in 4 wavelength ; Infrared, Visible, Ultraviolet and X-ray based on the image captured by NASA and focuses on the galactic center.

The red colors in the painting and image © NASA shows infrared light, as seen by the Spitzer Space Telescope. 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 Hubble Space Telescope. 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. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) captured this component of the image.Finally, the hottest areas 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.

Glows of stellar nurseries, hot, young stars, dust lanes and death of stars in M101 Pinwheel Galaxy under UV light.