From the Hubble Space Telescope
Images of the spiral galaxy NGC 4414, which is 19.1 megaparsecs or about 60 million light-years away, were obtained with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) through three different color filters. This picture shows that the central regions of this galaxy, as is typical of most spirals, contain primarily older, yellow and red stars. The outer spiral arms are considerably bluer due to ongoing formation of young, blue stars, the brightest of which can be seen individually at the high resolution provided by the Hubble camera. The arms are also very rich in clouds of interstellar dust, seen as dark patches and streaks silhouetted against the starlight.
Image Title: Magnificent Details in a Dusty Spiral Galaxy
based on press release for PHOTO NO.: STScI-PRC99-25
Credit: Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA)
Last Modified On: Sunday, December 17, 2000