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Detail from HST/WFPC2 with Location of Pulsar
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.16h 23m 35.4s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-26° 31' 31.9"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Scorpius
- 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.M4 is roughly 5,600 light-years (1,720 parsecs) from the Earth.
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.Data for this release was taken from HST proposals 5461 and 8679 together with archived observations from HST proposal 8153. The full team involved in this discovery is composed of Brad Hansen (UCLA), Harvey Richer (UBC), Steinn Sigurdsson (Penn State), Ingrid Stairs (UBC) and Stephen Thorsett (UCSC). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFPC2
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.February - April 1995; January - April 2001
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F336W (B), F555W (V), and F814W (I)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Beta Pictoris
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Pulsar, Globular Cluster
- Release DateJuly 10, 2003
- Science ReleaseOldest Known Planet Identified
- CreditsNASA and H. Richer (University of British Columbia)
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
