This image composite shows the search for the supernova nicknamed Refsdal using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The image to the left shows a part of the deep-field observation of the galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 from the Frontier Fields program. The circle indicates the predicted position of the newest appearance of the supernova. To the lower right, the Einstein Cross event from late 2014 is visible.
The image on the top right shows observations by Hubble from October 30, 2015, taken at the beginning of the observation program to detect the newest appearance of the supernova.
The image on the lower right shows the discovery of the Refsdal supernova on December 11, 2015, as predicted by several different models.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and P. Kelly (University of California, Berkeley);Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, and S. Rodney (University of South Carolina) and the FrontierSN team; T. Treu (UCLA), P. Kelly (UC Berkeley) and the GLASS team; J. Lotz (STScI) and the Frontier Fields team; M. Postman (STScI) and the CLASH team; and Z. Levay (STScI)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | SN Refsdal, MACS J1149.5+2223, SN HFF14Ref, SX |
| Object Description | Reappearance of Gravitationally Lensed Supernova in Cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 |
| R.A. Position | 11h 49m 35.08s |
| Dec. Position | 22° 24' 10.94" |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 9.3 billion light-years or 2.9 billion parsecs (supernova); 5 billion light-years or 1.5 billion parsecs (cluster) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The black and white images were created from data from HST proposal PI: P. Kelly (UC Berkeley) et al. The science team includes: P. Kelly (UC Berkeley), S. Rodney (University of South Carolina), G. Brammer (STScI), L. Strolger (STScI/WKU), R. Foley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), T. Treu (UCLA), A. Zitrin (Caltech), A. Filippenko (UC Berkeley), S. Jha (Rutgers University), A. Riess (JHU/STScI), J. Hjorth (Dark Cosmology Centre, Copenhagen), K. Schmidt (UC Santa Barbara), O. Graur (NYU/AMNH), M. Bradac (UC Davis), B. Weiner (Steward Observatory/UA), A. von der Linden (Dark Cosmology Centre, Copenhagen/KIPAC, Stanford), C. McCully (LCOGT/UC Santa Barbara), A. Molino (IAA-CSIC), J. Selsing (Dark Cosmology Centre, Copenhagen), M. Nonino (IAG/USP), and D. Coe (STScI). The colour image is created from data from the following HST proposals: : T. Treu (UCLA) et al. and the GLASS team, 13504 J. Lotz (STScI) et al. and the Frontier Fields team; : S. Rodney (JHU) et al. and the FrontierSN team; : P. Kelly (UCLA) et al. and the Refsdal team. |
| Instrument | HST>WFC3/IR (black and white images), and HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFC3/IR (color image) |
| Exposure Dates | Black and white images: October 30, 2015 (non-detection) and December 10, 2015 (detection); Color image: November 3, 2014 - December 14, 2014 |
| Filters | Black and white images: F125W and F160W Color image: ACS/WFC: F606W and F814W WFC3/IR: F105W, F125W, F140W, and F160W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | The color image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample broad 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: Blue: F606W + F814W Green: F105W + F125W Red: F140W + F160W |
| 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. |
