Swirling Landscape of Stars Size:16" x 16" 40 x 40åÊinchesåÊby Alixandra Martin

40 x 40åÊinchesåÊby Alixandra Martin

Photographed by the National Photo Company between 1909 and 1932 on 4x5 glass plate negative

and mission specialists Dale Gardner

Created by Albert M Bender and published by the Federal Art project between 1936 and 1939 as a color silkscreen

Launched under the direction of the General Electric Company

Swirling Landscape of Stars Size:16" x 16" 40 x 40åÊinchesåÊby Alixandra MartinThis swirling landscape of stars is known as the North America Nebula. In visible light, the region resembles North America, but in this image infrared view from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the continent disappears. Where did the continent go? The reason you don't see it in Spitzer's view has to do, in part, with the fact that infrared light can penetrate dust whereas visible light cannot. Dusty, dark clouds in the visible image become transparent