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Full ACS Image of NGC 5866

An edge-on spiral galaxy with a thin, clumpy line of dust stretches from upper left to lower right.
NGC 5866 is an edge-on galaxy that is tilted to our line-of-sight. It is classified as an S0 lenticular, due to its flat stellar disk and large ellipsoidal bulge. NGC 5866 lies in the Northern constellation Draco, at a distance of 44 million light-years (13.5 Megaparsecs). It has a diameter of roughly 60,000 light-years (18,400 parsecs). This Hubble image of NGC 5866 is a combination of blue, green and red observations taken with the Hubble Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys in November 2005.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    15h 6m 29.48s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    55° 45' 47.19"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Draco
  • 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.
    44 million light-years (13.5 Megaparsecs)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    This image is roughly 2.7 arcminutes (34,000 light-years or 10,000 parsecs) wide. The galaxy has a diameter of roughly 60,000 light-years (18,400 parsecs).

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.
    This image was created from HST data from proposal 10705: K. Noll, H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, W. Januszewski, and T. Royle (Hubble Heritage Team/STScI/AURA).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    February 11, 2006, Exposure Time: 2.5 hours
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F435W (B), F555W (V), F625W (r)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 5866
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Lenticular Galaxy
  • Release Date
    June 8, 2006
  • Science Release
    Hubble Sees Galaxy on Edge
    Read the release

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An edge-on spiral galaxy with a thin, clumpy line of dust stretches from upper left to lower right.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope using several different filters. Three filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F435W (B) Green: F555W (V) Red: F625W (r)

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

An edge-on spiral galaxy with a thin, clumpy line of dust stretches from upper left to lower right.

ACS Image of NGC 5866

This is a unique NASA Hubble Space Telescope view of the disk galaxy NGC 5866 tilted nearly edge-on to our line-of-sight. Hubble's sharp vision reveals a crisp dust lane dividing the galaxy into two halves. The image highlights the galaxy's structure: a subtle, reddish bulge...

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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

Acknowledgment Credit

William Keel (University of Alabama)

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