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Compass and Scale Image for Horsehead Nebula
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.05h 40m 58.99s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-2° 27' 29.88"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Orion
- 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.1,600 light-years (490 parsecs)
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 image was created from Hubble data from proposal 12812: Hubble Heritage Team: PI: Z. Levay, J. Mack, J. Sokol, T. Borders, M. Mutchler, W. Januszewski, M. Livio, C. Christian, and L. Frattare (STScI); and K. Noll (NASA/GSFC). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFC3/IR
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.October 22, 2012 - November 7, 2012
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F110W (YJ) and F160W (H)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Horsehead Nebula, Barnard 33
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Dark Nebula; Dimensions: 5.75 arcminutes (2.5 light-years or 0.8 parsecs) wide.
- Release DateApril 19, 2013
- Science ReleaseHubble Sees a Horsehead of a Different Color
- Credit
This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/IR instruments. Two filters were used to sample different infrared wavelength bands. 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: Cyan/blue: F110W (YJ) Red/orange: F160W (H)
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Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
