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Collection:
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NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Galaxies Gather at Great Distances
Title
Galaxies Gather at Great Distances
Title
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Description:
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Astronomers have discovered nearly 300 galaxy clusters and groups, including almost 100 located 8 to 10 billion light-years away, using the space-based Spitzer Space Telescope and the ground-based Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Ariz. The new sample represents a six-fold increase in the number of known galaxy clusters and groups at such extreme distances, and will allow astronomers to systematically study massive galaxies two-thirds of the way back to the Big Bang.
A mosaic portraying a bird's eye view of the field in which the distant clusters were found is shown at upper left. It spans a region of sky 40 times larger than that covered by the full moon as seen from Earth. Thousands of individual images from Spitzer's infrared array camera instrument were stitched together to create this mosaic. The distant clusters are marked with orange dots.
Close-up images of three of the distant galaxy clusters are shown in the adjoining panels. The clusters appear as a concentration of red dots near the center of each image. These images reveal the galaxies as they were over 8 billion years ago, since that's how long their light took to reach Earth and Spitzer's infrared eyes.
These pictures are false-color composites, combining ground-based optical images captured by the Mosaic-I camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak, with infrared pictures taken by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Blue and green represent visible light at wavelengths of 0.4 microns and 0.8 microns, respectively, while red indicates infrared light at 4.5 microns.
Kitt Peak National Observatory is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tuscon, Ariz.
Description
Astronomers have discovered nearly 300 galaxy clusters and groups, including almost 100 located 8 to 10 billion light-years away, using the space-based Spitzer Space Telescope and the ground-based Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Ariz. The new sample represents a six-fold increase in the number of known galaxy clusters and groups at such extreme distances, and will allow astronomers to systematically study massive galaxies two-thirds of the way back to the Big Bang.
A mosaic portraying a bird's eye view of the field in which the distant clusters were found is shown at upper left. It spans a region of sky 40 times larger than that covered by the full moon as seen from Earth. Thousands of individual images from Spitzer's infrared array camera instrument were stitched together to create this mosaic. The distant clusters are marked with orange dots.
Close-up images of three of the distant galaxy clusters are shown in the adjoining panels. The clusters appear as a concentration of red dots near the center of each image. These images reveal the galaxies as they were over 8 billion years ago, since that's how long their light took to reach Earth and Spitzer's infrared eyes.
These pictures are false-color composites, combining ground-based optical images captured by the Mosaic-I camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak, with infrared pictures taken by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Blue and green represent visible light at wavelengths of 0.4 microns and 0.8 microns, respectively, while red indicates infrared light at 4.5 microns.
Kitt Peak National Observatory is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tuscon, Ariz.
Description
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Release Date:
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2006/06/05
Release_Date
2006/06/05
Release Date
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Brodwin (JPL)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Brodwin (JPL)
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL)
Image Credit
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Object type:
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Galaxy Clusters
Object_type
Galaxy Clusters
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *14h32m5.00s *Dec: *34d16m48.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *14h32m5.00s *Dec: *34d16m48.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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z=1.24 (8.6 GLyr), z=1.26 (8.7 GLyr), and z=1.41 (9.1 GLyr)
Distance
z=1.24 (8.6 GLyr), z=1.26 (8.7 GLyr), and z=1.41 (9.1 GLyr)
Distance
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Wavelength:
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4.5 microns (red)
Wavelength
4.5 microns (red)
Wavelength
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Wavelength:
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0.4 micron (blue), 0.8 micron (green)
Wavelength
0.4 micron (blue), 0.8 micron (green)
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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7 x 7 arcminutes per inset
Image_scale
7 x 7 arcminutes per inset
Image scale
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Observers:
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Mark Brodwin, (JPL/Caltech)
Peter Eisenhardt, (JPL/Caltech)
Anthony Gonzalez, (University of Florida)
Adam Stanford, (UC Davis and IGPP/LLNL)
Daniel Stern (JPL/Caltech)
Michael Brown (Princeton)
Arjun Dey (NOAO)
Buell Jannuzi (NOAO)
Observers
Mark Brodwin, (JPL/Caltech)
Peter Eisenhardt, (JPL/Caltech)
Anthony Gonzalez, (University of Florida)
Adam Stanford, (UC Davis and IGPP/LLNL)
Daniel Stern (JPL/Caltech)
Michael Brown (Princeton)
Arjun Dey (NOAO)
Buell Jannuzi (NOAO)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
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Instrument:
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Mosaic-I camera on KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope
Instrument
Mosaic-I camera on KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope
Instrument
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Exposure Date:
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January 10 - 14, 2004
Exposure_Date
January 10 - 14, 2004
Exposure Date
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Exposure Date:
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April 2000 - April 2004
Exposure_Date
April 2000 - April 2004
Exposure Date
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Exposure Time:
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90 seconds
Exposure_Time
90 seconds
Exposure Time
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Exposure Time:
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1 - 2 hours (blue), 2 - 4 hours (green)
Exposure_Time
1 - 2 hours (blue), 2 - 4 hours (green)
Exposure Time
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Related links:
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Related_links
Related links
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note:
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*Full field with orange dots signifying locations of galaxy clusters* Screen-Resolution (450x363): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015a_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (1380x1114): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL)
note
*Full field with orange dots signifying locations of galaxy clusters* Screen-Resolution (450x363): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015a_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (1380x1114): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL) note
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note:
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*Full field without orange dots* Screen-Resolution (450x363): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015b_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (1380x1114): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL)
note
*Full field without orange dots* Screen-Resolution (450x363): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015b_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (1380x1114): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL) note
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note:
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*9.1 billion light-years* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015c_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (700x700): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL)
note
*9.1 billion light-years* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015c_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (700x700): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL) note
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note:
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*8.7 billion light-years* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015d_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (700x700): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL)
note
*8.7 billion light-years* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015d_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (700x700): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL) note
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note:
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*8.6 billion light-years* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015e_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (700x700): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL)
note
*8.6 billion light-years* Screen-Resolution (450x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…sig06-015e_small.jpg ] High-Resolution (700x700): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ M. Brodwin (JPL) note
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facet_what:
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Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Visible Light
facet_what
Visible Light
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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galaxies
facet_what
galaxies
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Florida
facet_where
Florida
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_when:
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April 2000
facet_when
April 2000
facet_when
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facet_when:
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April 2004
facet_when
April 2004
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2004
facet_when_year
2004
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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2000
facet_when_year
2000
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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sig06-015
Image_#
sig06-015
Image #
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-SPITZ-sig06-015
UID
SPD-SPITZ-sig06-015
UID
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