A bluish image of the core and surrounding of a companion galaxy to Andromeda. The color is due to the image being taken in ultraviolet light.

M32 – Companion Galaxy to Andromeda

This image of a large part of M32 was created from ultraviolet observations with Hubble and provides evidence that the ultraviolet light comes from a population of extremely hot, helium-burning stars at a late stage in their lives. Unlike the Sun, which burns hydrogen into helium, these old stars exhausted their central hydrogen long ago and now burn helium into heavier elements.

Credits: NASA and Thomas M. Brown, Charles W. Bowers, Randy A. Kimble, Allen V. Sweigart (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and Henry C. Ferguson (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Download Share

Tags

Image CreditNASA and Thomas M. Brown, Charles W. Bowers, Randy A. Kimble, Allen V. Sweigart (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and Henry C. Ferguson (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Size1024x1043px