Compass and Scale Image for M60

 Compass and Scale Image for M60

Credits

NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

About The Object
Object Name Messier 60, M60, and M60-UCD1
Object Description Elliptical Galaxy and Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxy with Black Hole
R.A. Position 12h 43m 36.0s
Dec. Position 11° 32' 6.99"
Constellation Virgo
Distance M60 and M60-UCD1 are roughly 54 million light-years (16 megaparsecs) distant.
About The Data
Data Description Data for this science result comes from the HST proposal: G. Fabbiano (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), T. Fragos and V. Kalogera (Northwestern University), D.-W. Kim and A. Zezas (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), J. Gallagher III (University of Wisconsin, Madison) , A. King (University of Leicester), J. Strader (Harvard University), and J. Brodie (University of California, Santa Cruz). The release image of M60 also includes data from proposals , PI: J. Tonry (University of Hawaii) and , PI: P. Cote (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory). The science team comprises: A. Seth (University of Utah), R. van den Bosch (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg), S. Mieske (ESO Chile), H. Baumgardt (University of Queensland), M. den Brok (University of Utah), J. Strader (Michigan State University), N. Neumayer (ESO Garching), I. Chilingarian (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/Moscow State University), M. Hilker (ESO Garching), R. McDermid and L. Spitler (Australian Astronomical Observatory/Macquarie University, Sydney), J. Brodie (University of California, Santa Cruz), M. Frank (Center of Astronomy/Heidelberg University), and J. Walsh (University of Texas, Austin).
Instrument HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFPC2
Filters ACS/WFC: F475W (B) and F850LP (z); WFPC2: F555W (V) and F814W (I)
About The Image
Color Info The images are composites of separate exposures made by the ACS/WFC and WFPC2 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Four filters were used to sample broad and narrow wavelength ranges for the UVIS image. The colors result from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: ACS/WFC F475W (B) + WFPC2 F555W (V) Green: F475W (B) + F555W (V) + F850LP (z) + F814W (I) Red: ACS/WFC F850LP (z) + WFPC2 F814W (I)
Compass Image Compass and Scale Image for M60
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.