Compass and Scale Image of Abell 520

 Compass and Scale Image of Abell 520

Credits

Illustration: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI);
Image: NASA, ESA, CFHT, CXO, M.J. Jee (University of California, Davis), and A. Mahdavi (San Francisco State University)

About The Object
Object Name Abell 520
Object Description Merging Galaxy Cluster
R.A. Position 04h 54m 18.98s
Dec. Position 02° 56' 48.8"
Constellation Orion
Distance 2.4 billion light-years (740 million parsecs)
About The Data
Data Description The image was created from Hubble data from proposal : J. Dalcanton (University of Washington, Seattle), A. Mahdavi (San Francisco State University), H. Hoekstra (Leiden Observatory), and A. Babul (University of Victoria, BC). The science paper is led by M.J. Jee (University of California, Davis).
Instrument HST>WFPC2, CFHT, and Chandra
Exposure Dates August 19-22, 2008, Exposure Time: 11 hours
Filters CFHT (B), CFHT (V), HST/WFPC2 F814W (I), and CXO X-ray
About The Image
Color Info This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the HST/WFPC2 instrument, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Several filters were used to sample various wavelength and energy 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 (visible): CFHT (B) + CFHT (V) + HST/WFPC2 F814W (I) Red (luminosity): CFHT Blue: HST/WFPC2 F814W (I) Green: CXO X-ray
Compass Image Compass and Scale Image of Abell 520
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.