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Digitized Sky Survey Image of White Dwarf Stars in Hyades Cluster
The Hyades is the nearest open star cluster to our solar system, at 150 light-years from Earth. This image is a color composite of red- and blue-filter observations from the ground-based Digitized Sky Survey. The Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph was used to study the spectrum of two white dwarfs that are cluster members.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.04h 26m 52s.80
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.15° 52' 12.00"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Taurus
- 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.150 light-years (46 parsecs)
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.The image was created from Hubble data from proposal 12169: B. Gaensicke (University of Warwick), D. Koester (Universitat Kiel), J. Farihi (Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge), and J. Girven (University of Warwick). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.DSS and HST>COS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.February 17 and March 6, 2011, Exposure Time: 13 minutes (COS)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.COS: G130M
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Hyades Cluster and WD 0431+126, WD 0421+162 (inset images)
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.White dwarfs in the Hyades Cluster
- Release DateMay 9, 2013
- Science ReleaseHubble Finds Dead Stars ‘Polluted’ with Planet Debris
- Credit
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Last Updated
Aug 17, 2025
Contact
Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
