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Compass and Scale Image of Abell 2261

Compass and Scale Image of Abell 2261

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    17h 22m 28.34s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    32° 9' 12.66"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Hercules
  • 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.
    3 billion light-years (920 megaparsecs)

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 12066: M. Postman (STScI) et al.
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC, and HST>WFC3/IR
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    March - May 2011, Exposure Time: 13 hours
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    ACS/WFC: F435W (B), F475W (g), F606W (V) + F625W (r) + F775W (i), F814W (I), and F850LP (z); WFC3/IR: F105W (Y), F110W (YJ), F125W (J), F140W (JH), and F160W (H)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Abell 2261, A2261-BCG
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Elliptical Galaxy
  • Release Date
    October 25, 2012
  • Science Release
    Monster Galaxy May Have Been Stirred Up By Black-hole Mischief
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Illustration: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

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Compass and Scale Image of Abell 2261
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 separate exposures acquired by the ACS instrument. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. 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: ACS/WFC F435W (B) + F475W (g) Green: ACS/WFC F606W (V) + F625W (r) + F775W (i) Red: ACS/WFC F814W (I) + F850LP (z), WFC3/IR F105W (Y) + F110W (YJ) + F125W (J) + F140W (JH) + F160W (H)

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

Monster Galaxy Lacks a Bright Core

Monster Galaxy Lacks a Bright Core

The giant elliptical galaxy in the center of this image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is the most massive and brightest member of the galaxy cluster Abell 2261. Spanning a little more than one million light-years, the galaxy is about 10 times the diameter of our Milky...

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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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