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NGC 4993

NGC 4993
The galaxy NGC 4993 is located about 130 million light-years from Earth. On August 17, 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detected gravitational waves from a neutron star collision within this galaxy. The event also resulted in a flare of light called a kilonova, which is visible to the upper left of the galactic center in this Hubble Space Telescope image.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    13 09 48.080
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -23 22 53.20
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Hydra
  • 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.
    130 million light-years (to NGC 4993)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 1.6 arcmin across, about 60,500 light-years at the distance of NGC 4993.

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.
    Data were provided by the HST proposals 14840 (A. Bellini, P.I.), 14804 (A. Levan, P.I.), 14771 (N. Tanvir, P.I.)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS, WFC3/IR
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    April 28, and August 22, 2017
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    WFC3/UVIS F606W, WFC3/IR F110W, F160W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 4993
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Elliptical Galaxy
  • Release Date
    October 16, 2017
  • Science Release
    NASA Missions Catch First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA and ESA Acknowledgment: A. Levan (U. Warwick), N. Tanvir (U. Leicester), and A. Fruchter and O. Fox (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res, 1365 × 1458
    png (3.72 MB)
  • Full Res, 1365 × 1458
    tif (3.61 MB)
NGC 4993
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 separate exposures made by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope using two different cameras and filters isolating the light of specific elements or of specific broad wavelength ranges. The color arises by assigning different hues (colors), to each monochromatic image. In this case, the colors are: blue WFC3/UVIS F606W, green WFC3/IR F110W, orange/red: WFC3/IR F160W.

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

Gravitational Wave Source in NGC 4993

Gravitational Wave Source in NGC 4993

On August 17, 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detected gravitational waves from a neutron star collision. Within 12 hours, observatories had identified the source of the event within the galaxy NGC 4993, shown in this Hubble Space Telescope image,...

Compass Image for Gravitational Wave Source in NGC 4993

Compass Image for Gravitational Wave Source in NGC 4993

Spectrum of a Kilonova

Spectrum of a Kilonova

Five days after an August 17 gravitational wave event, the Hubble Space Telescope pointed its spectrograph at an associated bright flare called a kilonova (which is a thousand times brighter than a classical nova). The resulting spectrum of infrared light is difficult to...

Neutron Star Collision Creates Kilonova

Neutron Star Collision Creates Kilonova

Panel 1: A pair of neutron stars in a binary system spiral together. Orbital momentum is dissipated through the release of gravitational waves, which are tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time. Panel 2: In the final milliseconds, the two objects merge and produce a gamma-ray...

Narrated Zoom into GRB170817A in NGC 4993

Narrated Zoom into GRB170817A in NGC 4993

This narrated movie zooms into the constellation Hydra to focus on the galaxy NGC 4993. Within this galaxy, a neutron star collision generated gravitational waves and an associated gamma-ray burst (GRB). It also resulted in a glow called a kilonova that was visible to telescopes...

Zoom into GRB170817A in NGC 4993

Zoom into GRB170817A in NGC 4993

This movie zooms into the constellation Hydra to focus on the galaxy NGC 4993. Within this galaxy, a neutron star collision generated gravitational waves and an associated gamma-ray burst (GRB). It also resulted in a glow called a kilonova that was visible to telescopes...

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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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