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Optical Jet in Galaxy NGC 3862

Optical Jet in Galaxy NGC 3862
A NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the central region of the galaxy NGC 3862 reveals a jet-like feature previously unseen in optical wavelengths. The image was taken with the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera in F196 mode at a wavelength of 3400 angstroms. The image's 0.06 arc second resolution reveals several knots and twists in the jet. The jet's full angular size is about 0.6 arc second, corresponding to a length of 740 light-years. NGC 3862 is an elliptical galaxy in a rich cluster of galaxies known as Abell 1367, located at a distance of about 260 million light- years away in the constellation of Leo. This new type of jet suggests that astronomers are seeing a new and unexpected phenomena in galactic nuclei.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    11h 45m 5.08s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    19° 36' 21.6"
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 3862
  • Release Date
    May 7, 1992
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Discovers a High Energy Jet in Galaxy NGC 3862
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Credit: P. Crane (European Southern Observatory), and NASA/ESA

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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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