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Close-Up of Light Echo Around V838 Monocerotis (September 2006)

Close-Up of Light Echo Around V838 Monocerotis (September 2006)
A detailed look at the V838 Mon light echo from September 2006, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    07h 4m 4.99s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -3° 50' 50.0"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Monoceros
  • 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 star is ~20,000 light-years (~6 kiloparsecs) away.

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.
    This image was created from HST data from the following proposals: 10618 and 10913: H. Bond (STScI), R. Wagner (University of Arizona), R. White (STScI), R. Corradi (Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos), L. Crause (University of Cape Town), M. Dopita (Australian National University), A. Henden (United States Naval Observatory), Z. Levay (STScI), U. Munari (Universita di Padova), N. Panagia (STScI/ESA), W. Sparks (STScI), S. Starrfield (Arizona State University), and B. Sugerman (STScI).
  • 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.
    September 9, 2006
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F606W (V) and F814W (I)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    V838 Monocerotis, V838 Mon
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Nova-like variable star and surrounding light echo
  • Release Date
    October 26, 2006
  • Science Release
    Hubble’s Latest Views of Light Echo from Star V838 Monocerotis
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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Close-Up of Light Echo Around V838 Monocerotis (September 2006)
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Two filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F606W (V) Greed: F606W (V) + F814W (I) Red: F814W (I)

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Zoom into the Light Echo V838Mon

Zoom into the Light Echo V838Mon

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 14, 2025
Contact
Media

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

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