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AG Carinae Compass
Image of AG Carinae, with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.
The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).
The color key shows which filters from Hubble's WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3) instrument were used when collecting the light.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.10:56:11.28
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-60:27:8.91
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Carina
- 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.Approximately 20,000 light-years away from Earth.
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.Nebula is approximately 5 light-years across.
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.The HST observations include those from program 16434 (C. Britt/STScI).
- InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.WFC3/UVIS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.3 January 2021, 24-25 February 2021
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F275W, F547M, F657N, F845M
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.AG Carinae, AG Car, HD 94910
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Luminous blue variable
- Release DateApril 23, 2021
- Science ReleaseHubble Captures Giant Star on the Edge of Destruction
- CreditsNASA, ESA, STScI
These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F275W Cyan: F547M Orange: F657N Red: F845M
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
