Compass and Scale Image of Centaurus A

 Compass and Scale Image of Centaurus A

Credits

Illustration: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI);
Science: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration;
Acknowledgment: R. O'Connell (University of Virginia) and the WFC3 Scientific Oversight Committee

About The Object
Object Name Centaurus A, Cen A, NGC 5128
Object Description Elliptical/Active Galaxy
R.A. Position 13h 25m 27.61s
Dec. Position -43° 1' 8.79"
Constellation Centaurus
Distance 1 million light-years (3.4 parsecs)
Dimensions This image is 2.7 arcminutes (8,500 light-years or 2,600 parsecs) wide.
About The Data
Data Description The image was created from Hubble data from proposal : R. O'Connell (University of Virginia), B. Balick (University of Washington), H. Bond (STScI), D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts), M. Carollo (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich), M. Disney (University of Wales, College of Cardiff), M. Dopita (Australian National University), J. Frogel (Ohio State University Research Foundation), D. Hall (University of Hawaii), J. Holtzman (New Mexico State University), P. McCarthy (Carnegie Institution of Washington), F. Paresce (European Southern Observatory, Germany), A. Saha (NOAO/AURA), J. Silk (University of Oxford), A. Walker (NOAO/CTIO), B. Whitmore (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), and E. Young (University of Arizona). Science team: S. Kaviraj (Imperial College London and the University of Oxford), R. Crockett (University of Oxford), and J. Silk (University of Oxford).
Instrument HST>WFC3/UVIS
Exposure Dates July 6-17, 2010, Exposure Time: 4.8 hours
Filters F225W (U), F336W (U), F438W (B), F487N (H-beta), F502N ([O III]), F547M (y), F657N (H-alpha + [N II]), F673N ([S II]), and F814W (I)
About The Image
Color Info This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3 instrument on HST. Several filters were used to sample broad and narrow 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: White: F225W (U) + F336W (U) + F438W (B) Blue: F487N (H-beta) Cyan: F502N ([O III]) Aqua: F547M (y) Red/orange: F657N (H-alpha + [N II]) Yellow/green: F673N ([S II]) Red: F814W (I)
Compass Image Compass and Scale Image of Centaurus A
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.