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Compass and Scale Image of Arp 116

Compass and Scale Image of Arp 116

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    12h 43m 36s.10
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +11° 34' 01''.99
  • 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.
    M60 is roughly 54 million light-years (16 megaparsecs) distant. NGC 4647 is 63 million light-years (19 megaparsecs) distant.

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 the following proposals: 9043: PI: J. Tonry (University of Hawaii); 9410: PI: P. Cote (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory); and 12369: PI: G. Fabbiano (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFPC2, and HST>ACS/WFC
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    ACS/WFC: F475W (B) and F850LP (z) WFPC2: F555W (V) and F814W (I)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Arp 116
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Elliptical and Spiral Galaxy Pair
  • Release Date
    September 6, 2012
  • Science Release
    Odd Galaxy Couple on Space Voyage
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Illustration: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

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Compass and Scale Image of Arp 116
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

The images are composites of separate exposures made by the ACS/WFC and WFPC2 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Four filters were used to sample broad and narrow wavelength ranges for the UVIS image. The colors result from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: ACS/WFC F475W (B) + WFPC2 F555W (V) Red: F850LP (z)+ WFPC2 F814W (I)

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

Odd Galaxy Couple on Space Voyage

Odd Galaxy Couple on Space Voyage

Two very different galaxies drift through space together in this image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The peculiar galaxy pair is called Arp 116. Arp 116 is composed of a giant elliptical galaxy known as Messier 60 (or M60) and a much smaller spiral galaxy, NGC 4647....

Zoom into Galaxy Pair Arp 116

Zoom into Galaxy Pair Arp 116

This video zooms in from a view of the night sky, through the constellation Virgo, and into a Hubble Space Telescope view of galaxy pair Arp 116.

Pan Across Arp 116

Pan Across Arp 116

This video shows Hubble Space Telescope observations of Arp 116, a pair of galaxies in the constellation Virgo. Arp 116 is composed of a giant elliptical galaxy known as Messier 60 (or M60) and a much smaller spiral galaxy, NGC 4647. Astronomers have long tried to determine...

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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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