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Compass Image for SN 2014J in M82

Compass Image for SN 2014J in M82

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    09 55 42.12
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +69 40 25.9
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Ursa Major
  • 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.
    11.4 million light years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is 7 arcmin across (about 23,000 light years at the distance of M82)

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 proposals 13717, 14139, and 14663 P.I. L. Wang (Texas A&M)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    ACS/WFC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    Mar. 2014 - Apr. 2016
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F435W, F555W, F658N, F814W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    SN2014J in M82
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Light echo around a supernova explosion
  • Release Date
    November 9, 2017
  • Science Release
    Hubble Shows Light Echo Expanding from Exploded Star
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Science Release Credit: NASA, ESA, and Y. Yang (Texas A&M / Weizmann Institute of Science)

Downloads

  • Full Res, 8529 × 5686
    png (75.4 MB)
  • Full Res, 8529 × 5686
    tif (87.45 MB)
  • 3000 × 2000
    png (11.27 MB)
  • 2000 × 1333
    png (5.17 MB)
  • 1000 × 667
    png (1.34 MB)
Compass Image for SN 2014J in M82
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample various wavelength ranges. 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: F435W Green: F555W Orange: F658N Red: F814W

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

Light Echo around SN 2014J in M82

Light Echo around SN 2014J in M82

Hubble Spots Expanding Light Echo around Supernova Light from a supernova explosion in the nearby starburst galaxy M82 is reverberating off a huge dust cloud in interstellar space. The supernova, called SN 2014J, occurred at the upper right of M82, and is marked by an “X.” The...

Zooming in on a Light Echo

Zooming in on a Light Echo

This video sequence takes the viewer into the nearby starburst galaxy M82, where a shell of light surrounding an exploding star is moving through interstellar space. The light was emitted from supernova SN 2014J, which was first observed in January 2014. Nearly three years...

Zooming in on a Light Echo (Narrated)

Zooming in on a Light Echo (Narrated)

This video sequence takes the viewer into the nearby starburst galaxy M82, where a shell of light surrounding an exploding star is moving through interstellar space. The light was emitted from supernova SN 2014J, which was first observed in January 2014. Nearly three years...

Zooming in on a Light Echo (Annotated)

Zooming in on a Light Echo (Annotated)

This video sequence takes the viewer into the nearby starburst galaxy M82, where a shell of light surrounding an exploding star is moving through interstellar space. The light was emitted from supernova SN 2014J, which was first observed in January 2014. Nearly three years...

Hubble Captures Supernova's Light Echo

Hubble Captures Supernova's Light Echo

Over a period of two and a half years, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed the "light echo" of supernova SN 2014J in galaxy M82, located 11.4 million light-years away.

Light Echo Expanding from Exploded Star (Black-and-White)

Light Echo Expanding from Exploded Star (Black-and-White)

A gush of light unleashed by the explosive death of a star is the gift that keeps on giving. The dead star is no longer visible, but the light emitted by the stellar blast, called a supernova, is still reverberating through space three years after the star’s demise was...

Light Echo Expanding from Exploded Star

Light Echo Expanding from Exploded Star

A gush of light unleashed by the explosive death of a star is the gift that keeps on giving. The dead star is no longer visible, but the light emitted by the stellar blast, called a supernova, is still reverberating through space three years after the star's demise was...

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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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