This picture is the highest resolution image ever made of the Andromeda Galaxy at ultraviolet wavelengths. It was taken by NASA's satellite, Swift. Swift is usually used to search for distant cosmic explosions. But with the 330 images that it took from May 25-July 26, 2008, it was able to form this amazing image. Using those pictures, an undergrad student at the University of Maryland at College Park who worked with Stefan Immler, a research scientist on the Swift team, was able to process all of that data to make the image that is seen here after 10 weeks of hard work. In this mosaic, it reveals about 20,000 ultraviolet sources in the Andromeda Galaxy, especially hot, young stars and dense star clusters. Studies show that tides raised by the many small satellite galaxies in orbit around M31 help increase interactions withing gas clouds that makes all of these new stars.
I really like this picture because it shows the entire galaxy and when you move your cursor over the picture, you can see the same galaxy in optical light. Compared with the image in optical light, the ultraviolet image appeals more to me just because it's purple. It has more of a fantasy look about it and the ring around it is more defined. But the optical image has more glare from the center and a white haze around the stars so it's a little harder to see them. I was also amazed that this picture was made out of 330 images put together. It turned out very nice and you can get an idea of how wide it actually is by the length of the picture (220,000 light-years across).
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