Galaxies · Galaxy · spiral galaxy
A face-on spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. Explore its views, where their colours came from, and palettes you can use.
Featured palette: Hubble mosaic, 2006 (Sampled from this image)
#544F50#080607#1A1718#343134#535054#7D787A#C0B3AC
Credit: Image: European Space Agency & NASA Acknowledgements: Project Investigators for the original Hubble data: K.D. Kuntz (GSFC), F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii), J. Trauger (JPL), J. Mould (NOAO), and Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana) Image processing: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble) CFHT image: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/J.-C. Cuillandre/Coelum NOAO image: George Jacoby, Bruce Bohannan, Mark Hanna/NOAO/AURA/NSF. · released 28 February 2006
About Pinwheel Galaxy
A face-on spiral galaxy in Ursa Major.
| Classification | Galaxy (spiral galaxy) |
|---|---|
| Identifiers | M101 |
| Distance | 23.0 million light-yearsdistance stated by the image publisher · ESA/Hubble |
| Observed light (this view) | B, V, I |
Why these colours?
Hubble mosaic, 2006
Hubble images combined with ground-based colour data. Filters listed by the publisher: B (435 nm), V (555 nm), I (814 nm).
From: Hubble mosaic, 2006 Multiwavelength composite
Colour clusters describe pixels in an image; they cannot identify a mineral, a gas or a physical temperature. Shares of pixels describe the sampled region of the image, not the object’s surface.
Colours from selected views
Palettes sampled from identified images and regions, or calculated from a documented model. These values describe each image or model, not one permanent colour of Pinwheel Galaxy.
Hubble mosaic, 2006
Sampled from this image · Hubble mosaic, 2006
#544F50RGB 84, 79, 80region average#080607RGB 8, 6, 730% of the region#1A1718RGB 26, 23, 2424% of the region#343134RGB 52, 49, 5217% of the region#535054RGB 83, 80, 8414% of the region#7D787ARGB 125, 120, 1229% of the region#C0B3ACRGB 192, 179, 1725% of the region
See where these colours came from
Creative palettes inspired by Pinwheel Galaxy
A design derived from the selected representation. It is not a scientific colour measurement. Each colour keeps the sampled colour it was made from.
Inspired by Pinwheel Galaxy
Inspired by this object
#302D2ERGB 48, 45, 46from #080607#514E4FRGB 81, 78, 79from #1A1718#747174RGB 116, 113, 116from #343134#9A969BRGB 154, 150, 155from #535054#C3BDBFRGB 195, 189, 191from #7D787A#F2E5DDRGB 242, 229, 221from #C0B3AC
Colours of the first view of Pinwheel Galaxy with their lightness spread evenly, for a design palette.
Explore the views
Pick a colour from the image. Click or tap the picture to read a colour. Picked colours are yours, not catalogue samples.
No supported 3D model is available for this view. You can still inspect the source imagery and palette.
Use these colours
Every palette above opens in the palette generator. With JavaScript you can also add colours to your cosmic palette, save them, make a gradient or pattern, preview them in a design or a room (you choose which colour goes on which surface), check digital accessibility and export them. Each colour keeps the view and sample it came from.
Paint matches compare digital swatches for design inspiration. They are not physical equivalents of light from space. Edits create a new design palette. The original representation remains unchanged.
Sources
- Hubble FAQs — image processing and colour — NASA
- Galaxies — NASA
- Largest ever galaxy portrait - stunning HD image of Pinwheel Galaxy — ESA/Hubble
Image credits
- Hubble mosaic, 2006: Image: European Space Agency & NASA Acknowledgements: Project Investigators for the original Hubble data: K.D. Kuntz (GSFC), F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii), J. Trauger (JPL), J. Mould (NOAO), and Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana) Image processing: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble) CFHT image: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/J.-C. Cuillandre/Coelum NOAO image: George Jacoby, Bruce Bohannan, Mark Hanna/NOAO/AURA/NSF. CC BY 4.0. Resized for the web from the publisher’s file (sha256 a9eb72f086a910bdea0848651034b947f2ab832a31a6b437bd66c6cc7ce4d60e).
Images were resized once for the web; colours were measured from the published files (k-means in OKLab, pcke-oklab-kmeans-1); calculated colours use the CIE 1931 2° observer. Facts last reviewed 25 October 2026. Catalogue pcke-cosmos-2026-10-25, page revision e40294f2aa4e. No ESA, ESO or NASA endorsement is implied.