The Fick Observatory Calendar, June 2002: NGC 6822

June 2002


NGC 6822 - A Dwarf Galaxy
These images show a very small and dim galaxy lying merely 1.5 million light years from our Milky Way, in the direction of Sagittarius. The left image is a "extended color" image, showing the light from the stars. Many are quite blue, including those centered in the blue knots a the top. The image to the right is false color with the light of hydrogen as red, and oxygen green. This shows that those knots in the image to the left are indeed gas rich nebula excited by newly formed stars. Also, the much fainter glow in the right-hand image shows that the light from stars emerges at all colors - the narrow filters produce an image that emphasizes glowing gas.