NGC 604 (Hubble Legacy Archive and Chandra data)
Characteristics:
RA: 01h 34m 33s
Dec: +30 degrees 47' 00"
Description:
The most conspicuous characteristic
of the spiral
galaxy M33 is the large number of HII star forming regions it
contains,
seen as red regions of Ha emission within the spiral arms. One of
these HII regions, known as NGC 604,
extends for over 1,500
light years and is shown above in data obtained from the Hubble Legacy Archive
(HLA) and the Chandra
X ray Observatory. I processed the optical light data from
the HLA using 4 different channels: R = 814W; G = 555W; B = 336W; Ha =
656N (this optical light image, without the Chandra X ray overlay, may
be found here).
The FITS files from the HLA were opened, adjusted, and saved as TIFFs
using FITS
Liberator, and then processed in the usual manner in Photoshop
CS5. I then folded in the Chandra X ray data, assembling the data
as a GIF animation. Combining optical and X ray images for this
target is not my original idea- it was done previously by the Chandra
team and was also featured on APOD. My purpose in doing this was
to gain familiarity with using HLA data to assemble a high resolution
image of targets that are not easily acquired by typical amateur
astrophotographer set-ups.
The
hottest regions containing strong X ray signal can be seen in the areas
that appear cleared out in visible light. NGC 604 is a robust
star
forming factory, as can be appreciated by the cluster of young, blue
stars in its center. More
information about NGC 604 may be found here.
Please
note: Graphics on this website may not be reproduced without
author permission.
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