Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Optical Transient SCP 06F6

Optical Transient SCP 06F6

This pair of NASA Hubble Space Telescope pictures shows the appearance of a mysterious burst of light that was detected on February 21, 2006, brightened over 100 days, and then faded into oblivion after another 100 days. The source of the outburst remains unidentified.

The event was detected serendipitously in a Hubble search for supernovae in a distant cluster of galaxies. The light-signature of this event does not match the behavior of a supernova or any previously observed astronomical transient phenomenon in the universe.

Astronomers do not know the object's distance, so it can either be in our Milky Way galaxy or at a great astronomical distance. The optical spectrum of the object contains absorption features that have not yet been identified. This may represent a previously undetected class of transient phenomenon in the universe.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    14h 32m 27.39s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    33° 32' 24.82"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Boötes

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.
    Science Team: This image was created from HST data from proposal 10496: S. Perlmutter (University of California, Berkeley).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    May 21, 2006, Exposure Time: 9.8 minutes
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F775W (SDSS i) and F850LP (SDSS z)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    SCP 06F6
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Optical Transient
  • Release Date
    January 6, 2009
  • Science Release
    Star Light, Star Bright, Its Explanation is Out of Sight
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and K. Barbary (University of California, Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Supernova Cosmology Project)

Downloads

  • 500 × 800
    jpg (181.23 KB)
  • 219 × 350
    jpg (23.92 KB)
  • pdf (3.61 MB)
  • 3000 × 2400
    jpg (812.21 KB)
  • 200 × 200
    jpg (11.29 KB)
  • 400 × 345
    jpg (30.99 KB)
  • 800 × 690
    jpg (222.45 KB)
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

Field of Optical Transient Source Not Visible - November 2005 - January 2006

Field of Optical Transient Source Not Visible - November 2005 - January 2006

HST ACS/WFC Image of Optical Transient SCP 06F6 - May 21, 2006

HST ACS/WFC Image of Optical Transient SCP 06F6 - May 21, 2006

Compass and Scale File of Optical Transit SCP 06F6

Compass and Scale File of Optical Transit SCP 06F6

Share

Details

Last Updated
Feb 17, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

Hubble News