NGC 4579
Sig06 003

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Kennicutt (University of Arizona) and the SINGS Team

Observation • February 9th, 2006 • sig06-003

sig06-003

Galaxy NGC 4579 was captured by the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey (SINGS) Legacy Project using the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). In this image, the red structures are areas where gas and dust are thought to be forming new stars, while the blue light comes from mature stars.

This SINGS image is a four-channel composite, where blue indicates emission at 3.6 microns, green corresponds to 4.5 microns, and red to 5.8 and 8.0 microns. The contribution from starlight (measured at 3.6 microns) in this picture has been subtracted from the 5.8 and 8 micron images to enhance the visibility of the dust features.

About the Object

Name
Messier 58M58NGC 4579
Type
Galaxy > Type > Spiral
Distance
70,000,000 Light Years
Redshift
0.005067

Color Mapping

Band Wavelength Telescope
Infrared 3.6 µm Spitzer IRAC
Infrared 4.5 µm Spitzer IRAC
Infrared 5.8 µm Spitzer IRAC
Infrared 8.0 µm Spitzer IRAC

Astrometrics

Position ()
RA =12h 37m 35.4s
Dec = 11° 50' 54.6"
Field of View
8.8 x 10.9 arcminutes
Orientation
North is 120.2° right of vertical