This graphic illustrates how a star can magnify and brighten the light of a background star when it passes in front of the distant star. If the foreground star has planets, then the planets may also magnify the light of the background star, but for a much shorter period of time than their host star. Astronomers use this method, called gravitational microlensing, to identify planets.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | OGLE-2005-BLG-169Lb |
| Object Description | Microlensed Exoplanetary System |
| R.A. Position | 18h 06m 05s.32 |
| Dec. Position | -30° 43' 57".50 |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Distance | 8,800 light-years (2,700 parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations of OGLE-2005-BLG-169Lb were taken in conjunction with proposal , PI: D. Bennett (University of Notre Dame), J. Anderson (STScI), I. Bond (Massey University, New Zealand), J.-P. Beaulieu (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris), P. Yock (University of Auckland), P. Fouque (Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees), and T. Sumi (Osaka University). The science team comprises: D. Bennett and A. Bhattacharya (University of Notre Dame), J. Anderson (STScI), I. Bond (Massey University, New Zealand), N. Anderson and R. Barry (NASA/GSFC), V. Batista and J.-P. Beaulieu (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris), D. DePoy (Texas A&M University), S. Dong (Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics/Peking University), B. Gaudi (Ohio State University), E. Gilbert (NASA/GSFC), A. Gould (Ohio State University), R. Pfeifle (NASA/GSFC), R. Pogge (Ohio State University), D. Suzuki (University of Notre Dame), S. Terry (NASA/GSFC), and A. Udalski (Warsaw University Observatory) |
| Instrument | HST>WFC3/UVIS |
| Exposure Dates | October 19, 2011 |
| Filters | F438W (B), F555W (V), and F814W (I) |
| 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. |
