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Debris Ring Around a Star: Annotated

Debris Ring Around a Star: Annotated

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    22h 57m 39.04s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -29° 37' 20.04"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Piscis Austrinus
  • 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.
    25 light-years away (7.7 parsecs)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    The ring is approximately 280AU (42 billion kilometers, 26 billion miles) in diameter.

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 Hubble image was created from HST data from proposals 9862 and 10390: P. Kalas (University of California, Berkeley), M. Clampin (NASA/GSFC), and J.R. Graham (University of California, Berkeley).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/HRC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    May, August, October, 2004, Total Exposure Time: 3.6 hours
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F606W (V), F814W (I)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Fomalhaut, HD 216956
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Star with Disk
  • Release Date
    June 22, 2005
  • Science Release
    Elusive Planet Reshapes a Ring Around Neighboring Star
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, P. Kalas and J. Graham (University of California, Berkeley), and M. Clampin (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

Downloads

  • 2250 × 1070
    jpg (1.37 MB)
  • 2250 × 1070
    tif (3.36 MB)
  • 800 × 380
    jpg (222.49 KB)
  • 200 × 200
    jpg (7.53 KB)
  • 350 × 166
    jpg (17.63 KB)
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.

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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