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Compass and Scale Image for Comet ISON

Image of a blue and white comet on a dark star-covered background with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.

Image of Comet ISON, 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

  • 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.
    At the time of the Hubble observations on May 8, 2013, the comet was 3.8 astronomical units (354 million miles) from the Sun. The comet was 4.3 astronomical units (403 million miles) from Earth.

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.
    The image was created from Hubble data from proposal 13229 by the Hubble Heritage Team, PI: Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, C. Christian, L. Frattare, W. Januszewski, M. Livio, J. Mack, and J. Sokol (STScI/AURA), and K. Noll (NASA/GSFC). High-level science products for these data are available from the MAST archive.
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    May 8, 2013
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F350LP (long pass)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Comet ISON
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Comet
  • Release Date
    July 2, 2013
  • Science Release
    Comet ISON Brings Holiday Fireworks
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI/AURA)

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Image of a blue and white comet on a dark star-covered background with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image was originally black and white and recorded only overall brightness. These brightness values were translated into a range of bluish hues. Such color "maps" can be useful in helping to distinguish subtly varying brightness in an image.

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

Image of a blue and white comet on a dark star-covered background.

Comet ISON

This July 4th the solar system is showing off some fireworks of its own. Superficially resembling a skyrocket, Comet ISON is hurtling toward the Sun at a whopping 48,000 miles per hour. Its swift motion is captured in this time-lapse movie made from a sequence of pictures taken...

Time-lapse Sequence of Comet ISON – May 8, 2013

Time-Lapse Sequence of Comet ISON – May 8, 2013

This July 4th the solar system is showing off some fireworks of its own. Superficially resembling a skyrocket, Comet ISON is hurtling toward the Sun at a whopping 48,000 miles per hour. Its swift motion is captured in this time-lapse movie made from a sequence of pictures taken...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

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