Stephan's Quintet: A Multi-wavelength Exploration

This visualization explores the galaxy group Stephan's Quintet by using observations in visible, infrared, and X-ray light. The sequence contrasts images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, Webb Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory to provide insights across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Exploring the grouping in three dimensions, the video showcases the galaxy distances, shapes, and the interactions between them. In particular, the stretched and distorted galactic features, along with a ridge of high-energy emission, provide evidence of a high-speed collision occurring within the group.

Multi-wavelength views enable contrasting and complimentary studies of this complex compact group.

Credits

Visualization: F. Summers, A. Pagan, J. DePasquale, L. Hustak, J. Olmsted, G. Bacon (STScI)

Images: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JPL-Caltech, CXC, CfA, Hubble SM4 ERO Team, E. O'Sullivan, A. Fujii

Music: "Cylinder Three", Chris Zabriskie CC-BY-NC 4.0

Audio Editing: D. Kirshenblat (STScI)