Data obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chanda X-Ray Observatory has allowed NASA scientists to offer casual viewers a detailed look at the Whirlpool Galaxy, which researchers described as “perhaps the most striking example of a spiral galaxy”.
The video – a 3-minute long series of images taken by the observatories — provides three different “angles” to observers, allowing them to view the galaxy in visible light, infrared light and X-rays.
The different wavelength observations allow viewers to examine the galaxy’s structure, discerning between older and younger stars, and spot features, such black holes and nebulas.
