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Comparison of Milky Way with Compact Galaxy in Early Universe

Comparison of Milky Way with Compact Galaxy in Early Universe

This illustration compares the Milky Way with a compact galaxy in the early universe.

Looking almost 11 billion years into the past, astronomers have measured the motions of stars for the first time in a very distant galaxy. They are whirling at a speed of one million miles per hour – about twice the speed of our Sun through the Milky Way. The galaxies are a fraction the size of our Milky Way, and so may have evolved over billions of years into the full-grown galaxies seen around us today.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    12h 54m 59.58s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    01° 11' 29.7"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Virgo
  • 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.
    11 billion light-years or 3.4 billion parsecs; Redshift z = 2.2

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.
    Hubble Data Science results are from Hubble data from proposal 10808: P. van Dokkum and S. Toft (Yale University), M. Kriek (Princeton University), M. Franx (University of Leiden, Netherlands), R. Quadri (Yale University), G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), D. Marchesini (Yale University), and G. Rudnick (University of Kansas). Gemini Data The Gemini observations science team comprises: M. Kriek (Princeton University), P. van Dokkum (Yale University), I. Labbé (Carnegie Observatories), M. Franx (University of Leiden, Netherlands), G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), D. Marchesini (Yale University), and R. Quadri (University of Leiden, Netherlands).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>NICMOS and Gemini>GNIRS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    March 16, 200,7 Exposure Time: 2.1 hours (HST), and May 2005, February 2006, and March 2007, Exposure Time: 29 hours (Gemini)
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    HST: F160W(H) Gemini Wavelengths: 3000-7500 angstroms
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    1255-0 (1256-151, 1256-0)
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Distant Galaxy
  • Release Date
    August 5, 2009
  • Science Release
    Astronomers Find Hyperactive Galaxies in the Early Universe
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)

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Details

Last Updated
Feb 17, 2025
Contact
Media

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

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