UIT observes Starburst Activity in M77

Nasa's Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) observed the inner disk of the giant Seyfert spiral galaxy M77. This galaxy shows intense star-forming activity at UV wavelengths. The UV-bright knots of starburst activity seem to be closely associated with an inner bar of older stars (shown in the red visible light image).

Compare to UIT observations of M100, where star formation was observed as well.

M77 image from the Astro 1 mission: False color UV image (probably a pseudocolor rendition of 1500/2500 Angstrom UIT exposures; thanks to Bill Keel for this hint)

Last Modification: 6 Apr 1999