These images of the Arches cluster, taken by three different telescopes, reveal progressively more detail in the tightly packed collection of about 2,000 stars. The Arches is the densest star cluster in our Milky Way Galaxy and resides in our galaxy's crowded core.
Astronomers used the image at right, taken with Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer, to determine if stars in the cluster have a weight limit at birth. Hubble's infrared camera is well suited to analyze the cluster because it penetrates the dusty core of our galaxy and produces sharp images, allowing the telescope to see individual stars in a tightly packed grouping.
Credits
Left: NASA, ESA, D. Figer (STScI);Middle: G. Serabyn (JPL), D. Shupe (Caltech) and D. Figer (STScI)
Right: NASA, ESA and D. Figer (STScI)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Arches Cluster |
| Object Description | Star Cluster |
| R.A. Position | 17h 45m 50.5s |
| Dec. Position | -28° 49' 27.99" |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Distance | 25,000 light-years away (8,000 parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | These data are from the HST program : D. Figer (STScI) |
| Instrument | Lick>3m (left), Keck I>10m ( right), HST>NICMOS (right) |
| Exposure Dates | 1994 (Lick, left), 1996 (Keck, right), September 13-14, 1997, Exposure Time: 1.2 hours (HST, right) |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
