Distant Galaxies in GOODS North

 Distant Galaxies in GOODS North

This is a portion of a deep-sky Hubble Space Telescope survey called GOODS North (Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey). The view is a composite of images taken in visible and near-infrared light. Researchers have circled four unusually red objects that appear as they existed just 500 million years after the big bang. They appear red because their light has been stretched to longer infrared wavelengths by the expansion of the universe. These extremely compact and bright galaxies present a puzzle to researchers because they are much more luminous than anything previously seen at such an early epoch. The young galaxies are bright because they are forming stars at a much faster rate than for other galaxies found at such early times.

The science team members are G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), P. Oesch (University of California, Santa Cruz; Yale University), R. Bouwens, I. Labbé, R. Smit, and M. Franx (Leiden University), P. van Dokkum and I. Momcheva (Yale University), M. Ashby, G. Fazio, J.-S. Huang, and S. Willner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), V. Gonzalez (University of California, Riverside), D. Magee (University of California, Santa Cruz), M. Trenti (University of Cambridge), G. Brammer (STScI), R. Skelton (South African Astronomical Observatory), and L. Spitler (Macquarie University/Anglo-Australian Observatory).

Credits

NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), P. Oesch (University of California, Santa Cruz; Yale University), R. Bouwens and I. Labbé (Leiden University), and the Science Team

About The Object
Object Name GOODS-N
Object Description Optical/Infrared Survey with distant galaxies
R.A. Position 12h 36m 37.9s
Dec. Position 62° 18' 8.49"
Constellation Ursa Major
About The Data
Data Description The science team members are G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), P. Oesch (University of California, Santa Cruz; Yale University), R. Bouwens, I. Labbé, R. Smit, and M. Franx (Leiden University), P. van Dokkum and I. Momcheva (Yale University), M. Ashby, G. Fazio, J.-S. Huang, and S. Willner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), V. Gonzalez (University of California, Riverside), D. Magee (University of California, Santa Cruz), M. Trenti (University of Cambridge), G. Brammer (STScI), R. Skelton (South African Astronomical Observatory), and L. Spitler (Macquarie University/AAO).
Instrument HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFC3/IR
Filters GOODS-N ACS/WFC: F435W (B), F606W (V), F814W (I), and F850LP (z) WFC3/IR: F125W (J) and F160W (H) Distant galaxies, inset F105W (Y), F125W (J) and F160W (H)
About The Image
Color Info The main GOODS-N composite includes exposures acquired by the ACS and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: GOODS-N Blue: F435W (B) + F606W (V) Green: F814W (I) + F850LP (z) Red: F125W (J) + F160W (H) Distant galaxies, inset Blue: F105W Green: F125W Red: F160W
Compass Image Distant Galaxies in GOODS North
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.