Polaris A and Polaris Ab

 Polaris A and Polaris Ab

Credits

NASA, ESA, N. Evans (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), and H. Bond (STScI)

About The Object
Object Name Polaris, Alpha Ursae Minoris, North Star
Object Description Triple Star System
R.A. Position 02h 31m 49s.08
Dec. Position +89° 15' 50".8
Constellation Ursa Minor
Distance The distance to the star system is 430 light-years or 132 parsecs.
Dimensions Polaris (star Aa) and star Ab are on average18.5 Astronomical Units from each other. Polaris (star Aa) and star B are on average 2,400 Astronomical Units from each other.
About The Data
Data Description The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposal : N.R. Evans (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), H.E. Bond (STScI), G. Bono (INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma), M. Karovska (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), E. Nelan (STScI), D.D. Sasselov (Harvard University), and G. Schaefer (STScI).
Instrument HST>ACS/HRC
Exposure Dates August 2-3, 2005
Filters F220W (Near UV)
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
  • Proposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
  • Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
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.