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Compass File and Scale for M87
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.12h 30m 49.42s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.12° 23' 28.02"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Virgo
- DistanceDistanceThe 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.54 million light-years (17 Megaparsecs)
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData 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.HST Proposal: 9401 P. Cote (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Victoria BC), J. Blakeslee (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory/Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics and Washington State University), L. Ferrarese (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Victoria, BC), A. Jordan (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), S. Mei (Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees), D. Merritt (Rochester Institute of Technology), M. Milosavljevic (California Institute of Technology), J. Tonry (University of Hawaii), E. Peng (Peking University, Beijing), and M. West (European Southern Observatory, Chile).
HST data also used from proposal 10543 : E. Baltz (Stanford University), T. Lauer (NOAO/AURA), A. Crotts (Columbia University), A. Gould (Ohio State University Research Foundation), P. Gondolo (University of Utah), M. Shara (American Museum of Natural History), J. Silk (University of Oxford), S. Zepf (Michigan State University), and D. Zurek (American Museum of Natural History).
- InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>ACS/WFC
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.December 2002 - December 2003, January - March 2006
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F475W (SDSS g), F606W (V), F814W (I)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.M87
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Giant Elliptical Galaxy
- Release DateAugust 5, 2008
- Science ReleaseGlobular Clusters Tell Tale of Star Formation in Nearby Galaxy Metropolis
- Credits
Blue: F475W (SDSS g)Green: F606W (V)Red: F814W (I)
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
