Press Releases 2006

ESO PR Photo 43a/06

The Topsy-Turvy Galaxy NGC 1313

[Preview - JPEG: 445 x 400 pix - 135k]
[Normal - JPEG: 899 x 800 pix - 479k]
[Full Res - JPEG: 2232 x 2008 pix - 2.6M]
[Full Res - TIFF: 2232 x 2008 pix - 10.1M]

Zoom-in on the image HERE!.

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The central parts of the starburst galaxy NGC 1313. The very active state of this galaxy is very evident from the image, showing many star formation regions. A great number of supershell nebulae, that is, cocoon of gas inflated and etched by successive bursts of star formation, are visible. The green nebulosities are region emitting in the ionised oxygen lines and may harbour clusters with very hot stars.
This colour-composite is based on images obtained with the FORS1 instrument on one of the 8.2-m Unit Telescope of ESO's Very Large Telescope, located at Cerro Paranal. The data were obtained in the night of 16 December 2003, through different broad- (R, B, and z) and narrow-band filters (H-alpha, OI, and OIII). The data were extracted from the ESO Science Archive and fully processed by Henri Boffin (ESO).

ESO PR Photo 43b/06

Larger Field around NGC 1313

[Preview - JPEG: 483 x 400 pix - 135k]
[Normal - JPEG: 965 x 800 pix - 479k]

Larger region of the sky around the starburst galaxy NGC 1313 showing the larger scale disturbance of the galaxy. The galaxy shows some large deformations in the lower right part of the image, while diffuse matter is also present at the top of the image. All this signals a very tormented past which could be at the origin of the burst of star formation.
The image was made from data from the Digitized Sky Survey, obtained through blue, red and infrared filters. The "Second Epoch Survey" of the southern sky was made by the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Plates from this survey have been digitized and compressed by the ST ScI. The data were extracted and colour-composed by Henri Boffin (ESO).