Caption
This is a new image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The first deep imaging of the field was done with Hubble in 2004. The same survey field was observed again by Hubble several years later, and was then reimaged in 2023. By comparing Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 near-infrared exposures taken in 2009, 2012, and 2023, astronomers found evidence for flickering supermassive black holes in the hearts of early galaxies. One example is seen as a bright object in the inset. Some supermassive black holes do not swallow surrounding material constantly, but in fits and bursts, making their brightness flicker. This can be detected by comparing Hubble Ultra Deep Field frames taken at different epochs. The survey found more black holes than predicted.
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Hubble Ultra Deep Field; 1051264 |
| Object Description | Supermassive black hole in distant galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 03:32:43.419 |
| Dec. Position | -27:47:14.198 |
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Distance | 10.4 billion light-years to supermassive black hole (z=2) |
| Dimensions | Image is about 2.0 arcmin across |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The image was created from Hubble data from the following proposals: , (S. Beckwith); (G. Illingworth); (R. Ellis); and (M. Hayes); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) |
| Instrument | ACS/WFC, WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | September 2003 to January 2004, August 2009 to January 2011, August-September 2012, August 2023 |
| Filters | F435W, F606W, F775W, F814W, F850LP, F105W, F125W, F140W, F160W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are composites 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: F435W + F606W Green: F775W + F814W + F850LP + F105W Red: F125W + F140W + F160W |
| Compass and Scale 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 | |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Compass and Scale Image | An astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made. |
