NGC 2273: Galaxy Image Page
The image below of the galaxy NGC 2273 (aka Markarian 620), obtained with the
WIYN Observatory,
is from a paper presented June 10, 1996, at the 188th meeting of the American
Astronomical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, by Peter Erwin, Linda S. Sparke,
and John S. Gallagher. (See below for downloading options.)
This image looks its best when viewed with 24-bit color.
See below for caption.
Images of the galaxy are available in two forms (the image size is
1024 by 1024 pixels):
The 3.5m (140-inch) WIYN telescope has a new design which minimizes
the turbulent flow of air around the dome and telescope, thus
in turn minimizing the blurring (``seeing'') of astronomical images.
This image of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 2273 is a composite of observations
in different colors taken at WIYN on December 27, 1995, with a seeing of
0.65 arc seconds (the angular size of an atmospherically blurred star in the
image).
The image shows a barred galaxy with several outer spiral arms and two
additional inner arms starting from the ends of the central bar.
Dark dust lanes show where gas is being compressed as it flows in
towards the galaxy center. The inset box (32 arc seconds across)
shows the very bright central nucleus, with an even smaller spiral
pattern of dust lanes. The nuclear region glows brightly in blue and UV
light, indicating that many massive stars have recently formed out
of the gas, which surrounds a central ``active'' nucleus, that itself is
presumably powered by gas falling into a massive black hole.
PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Erwin, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This material was presented to the American Astronomical Society
meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 10, 1996 (Poster Session
10.02: Peter Erwin, Linda S. Sparke, and John S. Gallagher).
Back to Peter Erwin's Home Page...
Last modified 15 March 2001.
