Twisted spiral galaxy NGC 134

Image obtained with ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the spiral galaxy observed by the European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik, when at Paranal. NGC 134 is a barred spiral with its spiral arms loosely wrapped around a bright, bar-shaped central region. The red features lounging along its spiral arms are glowing clouds of hot gas in which stars are forming, so-called HII regions. The galaxy also shows prominent dark lanes of dust across the disc, obscuring part of the galaxy's starlight. The image is a colour composite based on data obtained in the B, V, R, and H- filters with the FORS2 instrument attached to Antu, UT1 of the VLT. During his stay on Paranal, the Commissioner, together with the observatory staff, prepared the observations of this Galaxy. At night, Janez Potocnik initiated these observations, and checked the quality of the images as they appeared on the control screens. Because the high-sensitivity detectors used on the VLT measure only the intensity of the light reaching their pixels, the colour information is acquired by taking a sequence of images through different coloured filters. Consequently, the Commissioner could not immediately see the attached image, but only black-and-white version of it. The final colour processing was done by Haennes Heyer and Henri Boffin, with input from Yuri Beletsky (all ESO).

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso0749a
Type:Observation
Release date:9 November 2007
Related releases:eso0749
Size:1562 x 1607 px

About the Object

Name:NGC 134
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Barred
Distance:60 million light years
Constellation:Sculptor
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

Large JPEG
946.5 KB
Screensize JPEG
312.2 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
347.0 KB
1280x1024
622.2 KB
1600x1200
951.1 KB
1920x1200
1.0 MB
2048x1536
1.4 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):0 30 22.60
Position (Dec):-33° 14' 35.41"
Field of view:6.56 x 6.75 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 90.0° right of vertical

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
B
Very Large Telescope
FORS2
Optical
V
Very Large Telescope
FORS2
Optical
R
Very Large Telescope
FORS2