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Hubble/Keck Composite Image of Gravitational Lens System: SLACS J0737+3216

Hubble/Keck Composite Image of Gravitational Lens System: SLACS J0737+3216
This is a color composite image of the gravitational lens system, made from Hubble (blue and green filters) and Keck (red filter) data. The blue ring is the tiny background galaxy that is being stretched by the gravitational pull of the foreground "lens" galaxy at the center of the image.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    07h 37m 28.44s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    32° 16' 18.46"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Gemini
  • 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.
    The background source that is being lensed has a distance of 6 billion light-years (1.8 billion parsecs). Redshift: The foreground lensing object is at a redshift z = 0.3223; the background source that is being lensed has a redshift z = 0.5812.

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.
    The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposal 10494: L. Koopmans (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute), T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara), A. Bolton (Institute for Astronomy/University of Hawaii), S. Burles (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and L. Moustakas (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). The science team includes: P. Marshall and T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara), J. Melbourne (U.C.O./Lick Observatory/Center for Adaptive Optics, University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Gavazzi (University of California, Santa Barbara), K. Bundy (University of Toronto), M. Ammons (U.C.O./Lick Observatory/Center for Adaptive Optics, University of California, Santa Cruz), A. Bolton (Institute for Astronomy/University of Hawaii), S. Burles (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), J. Larkin (University of California, Los Angeles), D. Le Mignant (W. M. Keck Observatory; Center for Adaptive Optics, University of California, Santa Cruz), D. Koo (U.C.O./Lick Observatory University of California, Santa Cruz), L. Koopmans (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute), and C. Max (U.C.O./Lick Observatory/Center for Adaptive Optics, University of California, Santa Cruz).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC, HST>NICMOS/NIC2, and Keck II>LGSAO
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    November 5, 2006 and December 11, 2006
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    ACS/WFC: F555W (V) and F814W (I) NICMOS/NIC2: F160W LGSAO: K’-band with the near-infrared camera (NIRC2)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    SDSS J0737+3216, SLACS J0737+3216
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Gravitational Lens System
  • Release Date
    October 4, 2007
  • Science Release
    Astronomers Use Hubble and Keck to Identify Dwarf Galaxy
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and P. Marshall and T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara)

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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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