About the Object Object Name: Arp 220 Object Description: Active Galaxy Position (J2000): R.A. 15h 34m 57s.21 Dec. 23° 30' 9".5 Constellation: Serpens Distance: 250 million light-years (77 Megaparsecs) Dimensions: This image is roughly 24 arcseconds (29,000 light-years or 8,900 parsecs) wide. About the Data Data Description: This image was created from HST data from proposal 9396: C. Wilson, S. Brooks, and W. Harris (McMaster University), and N. Scoville (California Institute of Technology). Instrument: ACS/HRC Exposure Date(s): August 11, 2002 Exposure Time: 6.6 hours Filters: F435W("B"), F555W("V"), F814W("I") About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Wilson (McMaster University) Release Date: June 13, 2006 Color: This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope using several different filters. Three filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: F814W ("I") red F555W ("V") green F435W ("B") blue Orientation/Scale: Super Star Clusters in Dust-Enshrouded Galaxy [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast_Facts
Technical facts about this news release:
About the Object Object Name: Arp 220 Object Description: Active Galaxy Position (J2000): R.A. 15h 34m 57s.21 Dec. 23° 30' 9".5 Constellation: Serpens Distance: 250 million light-years (77 Megaparsecs) Dimensions: This image is roughly 24 arcseconds (29,000 light-years or 8,900 parsecs) wide. About the Data Data Description: This image was created from HST data from proposal 9396: C. Wilson, S. Brooks, and W. Harris (McMaster University), and N. Scoville (California Institute of Technology). Instrument: ACS/HRC Exposure Date(s): August 11, 2002 Exposure Time: 6.6 hours Filters: F435W("B"), F555W("V"), F814W("I") About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Wilson (McMaster University) Release Date: June 13, 2006 Color: This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope using several different filters. Three filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: F814W ("I") red F555W ("V") green F435W ("B") blue Orientation/Scale: Super Star Clusters in Dust-Enshrouded Galaxy [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast Facts
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Release Date*:June 13, 2006 01:00 PM (EDT)
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*Release Date*:June 13, 2006 01:00 PM (EDT)
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2006-26a
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2006-26a
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*Title*:Hubble Eyes Star Birth in the Extreme
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*Title*:Hubble Eyes Star Birth in the Extreme
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*Description*:
The sharp eye of the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys has uncovered more than 200 mammoth star clusters in the heart of the galaxy Arp 220.
The clusters are the bluish-white dots scattered throughout the image. The heftiest Arp 220 cluster ? about 10 million solar masses ? is twice as massive as any comparable star cluster in the Milky Way Galaxy. Arp 220 collided with another galaxy about 700 million years ago, fueling the frenzy of star birth in a small region about 5,000 light-years across. The galaxy is a nearby example of the aftermath of two colliding galaxies.
The clusters are so compact, however, that even at their moderate distance they look to Hubble like brilliant single stars. Astronomers know the clusters are not stars because they are much brighter than a star would be at that distance, 250 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens.
The massive clusters seen in this visible-light image are just the tip of the iceberg. More star clusters are not visible because they are obscured by the dust that engulfs this galaxy. In fact, much of the visible light in this photo is reddened by dust, like Earth's sky at sunset. Because of this dust, Arp 220 shines brightest in infrared light and is called an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG). ULIRGs are the products of mergers between galaxies, which can create firestorms of star birth. Starlight from the new stars heats the surrounding dust, causing the galaxies to glow brilliantly in infrared light.
The Advanced Camera observations were taken in visible light in August 2002.
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*Description*:
The sharp eye of the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys has uncovered more than 200 mammoth star clusters in the heart of the galaxy Arp 220.
The clusters are the bluish-white dots scattered throughout the image. The heftiest Arp 220 cluster ? about 10 million solar masses ? is twice as massive as any comparable star cluster in the Milky Way Galaxy. Arp 220 collided with another galaxy about 700 million years ago, fueling the frenzy of star birth in a small region about 5,000 light-years across. The galaxy is a nearby example of the aftermath of two colliding galaxies.
The clusters are so compact, however, that even at their moderate distance they look to Hubble like brilliant single stars. Astronomers know the clusters are not stars because they are much brighter than a star would be at that distance, 250 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens.
The massive clusters seen in this visible-light image are just the tip of the iceberg. More star clusters are not visible because they are obscured by the dust that engulfs this galaxy. In fact, much of the visible light in this photo is reddened by dust, like Earth's sky at sunset. Because of this dust, Arp 220 shines brightest in infrared light and is called an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG). ULIRGs are the products of mergers between galaxies, which can create firestorms of star birth. Starlight from the new stars heats the surrounding dust, causing the galaxies to glow brilliantly in infrared light.
The Advanced Camera observations were taken in visible light in August 2002.
