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Galaxy NGC 3370 Comparison of Ground and ACS Images

Galaxy NGC 3370 Comparison of Ground and ACS Images
SN 1994ae was discovered by S. Van Dyk and the Leuschner Observatory Supernova Search (IAU Circular 6105) using an automated 0.76-meter telescope. The discovery image was taken on Nov. 14, 1994. The supernova was located about 30".3 west and 6".1 north of the galaxy's nucleus. The image on the left is from the 1.2-meter telescope at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (courtesy R. Schild/CfA) and was obtained in good conditions a few weeks after maximum light. The supernova peaked at ~13th magnitude in the visual. Extensive monitoring of the light curve in 5 colors was obtained beginning 2 weeks before maximum and provides one of the most complete photometric records of a supernova light curve (Riess et al. 1999). The image on the right is from HST 9 years later, by which time the supernova can no longer be detected. Many interesting features of the host as well as other background galaxies are blurred beyond recognition by the atmosphere in the ground-based image. HST, which sits above the distorting atmosphere, captures great detail at exquisite resolution.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    10h 47m 4.17s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    17° 16' 22.8"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Leo
  • 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.
    98 million light-years (30 megaparsecs)

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 (right) was created from HST data from the following proposals: 9351: A. Riess (STScI), P. Stetson (NRC), A. Filippenko (UC Berkeley); and 9696: K. Noll (STScI), A. Riess (STScI), L. Frattare, H. Bond, C. Christian, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, and T. Royle (STScI).

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC (right)
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    April - May 2003, Exposure Time: 25 hours (HST image, right)
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    ACS: F435W (B), F555W (V), F814W (I)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 3370
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Spiral Galaxy
  • Release Date
    September 4, 2003
  • Science Release
    Celestial Composition
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA and A. Riess (STScI)

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Related Images & Videos

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370, Home to Supernova Seen in 1994

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370, Home to Supernova Seen in 1994

Amid a backdrop of far-off galaxies, the majestic dusty spiral, NGC 3370, looms in the foreground in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. Recent observations taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys show intricate spiral arm structure spotted with hot areas of new star...

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370

Details of Galaxy NGC 3370 From ACS Image

Details of Galaxy NGC 3370 From ACS Image

Center of Galaxy NGC 3370 Shows Dust Lanes and Uncommonly Ill-Defined Nucleus

Center of Galaxy NGC 3370 Shows Dust Lanes and Uncommonly Ill-Defined Nucleus

The center of NGC 3370 shows well delineated dust lanes and an uncommonly ill-defined nucleus.

Blue Star Clusters and Distant Galaxies Near Edge of Galaxy NGC 3370

Blue Star Clusters and Distant Galaxies Near Edge of Galaxy NGC 3370

A region on the edge of the galaxy shows bright blue clusters of young, massive stars as well as distant, red background galaxies shining through.

Star Clusters and Distant, Red Galaxies Near Edge of Galaxy NGC 3370

Star Clusters and Distant, Red Galaxies Near Edge of Galaxy NGC 3370

A region on the edge of the galaxy shows bright blue clusters of young, massive stars as well as distant, red background galaxies shining through.

A Bright Galaxy Interacts With a Companion (Details from Image of NGC 3370)

A Bright Galaxy Interacts With a Companion (Details from Image of NGC 3370)

An unusual concentration in the upper corner shows a complex region of tidal interaction between a bright galaxy and its companion. Superimposed are a foreground star in the Milky Way and a background galaxy.

Warped, Edge-On Spiral Galaxy (Details from Image of NGC 3370)

Warped, Edge-On Spiral Galaxy (Details from Image of NGC 3370)

A Sombrero-galaxy-look-alike is seen edge on with a small warp in the middle right.

Merging Blue Galaxies (Details from Image of NGC 3370)

Merging Blue Galaxies (Details from Image of NGC 3370)

In the lower middle right, a distant filament of merging blue galaxies can be seen.

Light Curve of Cepheid Variable in NGC 3370

Light Curve of Cepheid Variable in NGC 3370

A graph showing the relative brightness change of a Cepheid variable in NGC 3370. Peak-to-trough variation represents a doubling in brightness.

NGC 3370: Celestial Composition

NGC 3370: Celestial Composition

Pan of the galaxy NGC 3370 taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in early 2003. Adam Riess, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., observed NGC 3370 a dozen times over the course of a month and has seen many Cepheid variables. These...

Cepheid Variable in NGC 3370

Cepheid Variable in NGC 3370

Here we see a "movie" of 12 consecutive epochs of a long period (~50 days) Cepheid variable. The Cepheid is in the center of a crowded region of stars. The resolution of HST is required to pick out the variable star from its neighbors. The star was caught initially fading before...

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Last Updated
Mar 14, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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