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Intracluster Light in MACS J0416

Intracluster Light in MACS J0416

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxy cluster MACS J0416. This is one of six galaxy clusters being studied by the Hubble Frontier Fields program, which together have produced the deepest images of gravitational lensing ever made.

Scientists used intracluster light (visible in blue) to study the distribution of dark matter within the cluster.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    04:16:09.89
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -24:03:58.0
  • 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.
    4 billion light-years

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.
    MACS J0416 is part of the Frontier Fields Program. These data were observed via the HST proposals 12458 (PI: M. Postman, STScI), 13459 (PI: T. Treu, UCLA), 14037 (PI: J. Lotz, STScI), and 14209 (PI: B. Siana, UC Riverside).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    ACS/WFC, WFC3/IR
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    December 2005 - May 2016
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    ACS/WFC: F435W, F606W, F814W; WFC3/IR: F105W, F125W, F140W, and F160W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    MACS J0416.1-2403
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    galaxy cluster
  • Release Date
    June 3, 2020
  • Science Release
    Hubble Makes Surprising Find in Early Universe
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and M. Montes (University of New South Wales)

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  • Full Res, 3214 × 3599
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Intracluster Light in MACS J0416
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are composites of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/IR and ACS/WFC instruments. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: ACS/WFC F435W (B) + F606W (R) Green: ACS/WFC F814W (I) + WFC3/IR F105W (Y) Red: WFC3/IR F125W (J) + F140W (JH) + F160W (H).

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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

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