This annotated, infrared image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the scale of the galactic core. The locator mark in the middle designates the galaxy's nucleus, which is home to a central, supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A* (pronounced Sagittarius A-star).
Credits
NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA);Acknowledgment: T. Do and A. Ghez (UCLA), and V. Bajaj (STScI)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Galactic Center |
| Object Description | Center of the Milky Way Galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 17h 45m 36.0s |
| Dec. Position | -28° 55' 58.8" |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Distance | 27,000 light-years (8,000 parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST data were taken from proposals , , and PI: T. Do (UCLA) and PI: A. Ghez (UCLA). The science team comprises T. Do, A. Ghez, and M. Morris (UCLA), R. Schodel (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucia), J. Lu (University of Hawaii), W. Clarkson (University of Michigan), D. Merritt (RIT), B. Hansen and S. Yelda (UCLA), J. Bullock (University of California, Irvine), J. Anderson (STScI), L. Meyer, E. Mills, and N. McCrady (UCLA), and J.-U. Pott (Max Planck Insititue for Astronomy, Heidelberg). |
| Instrument | HST>WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | 2010 - 2014 |
| Filters | F127M (H2O/CH4 continuum), F139M (H2O/CH4 line), and F153M (H2O and NH3) |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/IR instrument. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. 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: Blue: F127M (H2O/CH4 continuum) Green: F139M (H2O/CH4 line) Red: F153M (H2O and NH3) |
| Compass Image |  |
| 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. |
