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Galaxy Cluster Abell 2218’s “Gravitational Lens”

Galaxy Cluster Abell 2218's "Gravitational Lens"

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    16h 35m 54.00s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +66° 13' 00.0"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Draco
  • Distance
    DistanceThe 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.
    2 billion light-years (600 million parsecs)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    Abell 2218 Principal Astronomers: A. Fruchter (STScI), C. Christian (STScI), A. Kinney (NASA), A. Fruchter (STScI), S. Baggett (STScI), R. Hook (ST-ECF), Z. Levay (STScI)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFPC2
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    January 11 - 13, 2000, Exposure Time: 9.4 hours
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F450W (Wide B), F606W (Wide V), and F814 W (I)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Abell 2218
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Galaxy Cluster, Gravitational Lens
  • Release Date
    October 5, 2001
  • Science Release
    Gravitational Lens Helps Hubble and Keck Discover Galaxy Building Block
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, Richard Ellis (Caltech) and Jean-Paul Kneib (Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees, France); Acknowledgment: NASA, A. Fruchter and the ERO Team (STScI and ST-ECF)

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Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn 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.

Related Images & Videos

Gravitational Lens Helps Hubble and Keck Discover Galaxy Building Block

Gravitational Lens Helps Hubble and Keck Discover Galaxy Building Block

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a very small, faint galaxy 'building block' newly discovered by a unique collaboration between ground- and space-based telescopes. Hubble and the 10-meter Keck Telescopes in Hawaii joined forces, using a galaxy cluster which acts as...

Gravitational Lens Helps Hubble and Keck Discover Galaxy Building Block

Gravitational Lens Helps Hubble and Keck Discover Galaxy Building Block

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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