NICMOS finds a golden ring at the heart of a galaxy (WFPC2 image): In this visible-light view of the galaxy NGC 4013, the star-forming ring (which is visible in a NICMOS image of the same region) cannot be seen because it is embedded in dust. The most prominent feature in this visible-light image - taken by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2(WFPC2) - is the thin, dark band of gas and dust, which is about 500 light-years thick. NGC 4013, which looks similar to our Milky Way Galaxy, resides in the constellation Ursa Major, 55 million light-years from Earth.
In this visible-light view of the galaxy NGC 4013, the star-forming ring (which is visible in a NICMOS image of the same region) cannot be seen because it is embedded in dust. The most prominent feature in this visible-light image - taken by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2(WFPC2) - is the thin, dark band of gas and dust, which is about 500 light-years thick. NGC 4013, which looks similar to our Milky Way Galaxy, resides in the constellation Ursa Major, 55 million light-years from Earth.