Above and Beyond: Star Formation in the Whirlpool Galaxy

 

 

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach.

 

All images, illustrations, and videos courtesy of NASA, ESA, and STScI except:

 

·       Image of reflection nebula NGC 1788 courtesy of T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF) & S. Pakzad (NOAO/AURA/NSF)

·       Taurus constellation drawing from Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia by Johannes Hevelius, courtesy of the United States Naval Observatory

·       Orion constellation photo courtesy of Akira Fujii

·       Illustration of circumstellar disk and jets courtesy of ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser

·       Image of HH 34 jets courtesy of ESO

·       Star formation animation courtesy of Aimei Kutt (Brown University/STScI)

 

 

Written by Vanessa Thomas

Designed by John Godfrey

(SPEECH) 

 [DOWNBEAT MUSIC] 

(DESCRIPTION) 
 A white spiral galaxy with pink patches throughout. 

Text, WHIRLPOOL GALAXY. HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. 

This galaxy is a star factory. 

Each pink patch in its swirling spiral arms is a vast realm of star formation. 

As stars form within these nebulae, their strong stellar winds and searing ultraviolet radiation blow away their veils of gas. 

We move closer to the galaxy. Clusters of blue stars become visible. 

Text, Pockets of blue, newborn stars emerge from the haze.