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Supernova Refsdal and Galaxy Cluster MACS J1149.5+2223
This image composite shows the search for the supernova nicknamed Refsdal using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The image to the left shows a part of the deep-field observation of the galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 from the Frontier Fields program. The circle indicates the predicted position of the newest appearance of the supernova. To the lower right, the Einstein Cross event from late 2014 is visible.
The image on the top right shows observations by Hubble from October 30, 2015, taken at the beginning of the observation program to detect the newest appearance of the supernova.
The image on the lower right shows the discovery of the Refsdal supernova on December 11, 2015, as predicted by several different models.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.11h 49m 35.08s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.22° 24' 10.94"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Leo
- DistanceDistanceThe 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.9.3 billion light-years or 2.9 billion parsecs (supernova); 5 billion light-years or 1.5 billion parsecs (cluster)
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData 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 black and white images were created from data from HST proposal 14199 PI: P. Kelly (UC Berkeley) et al.
The science team includes: P. Kelly (UC Berkeley), S. Rodney (University of South Carolina), G. Brammer (STScI), L. Strolger (STScI/WKU), R. Foley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), T. Treu (UCLA), A. Zitrin (Caltech), A. Filippenko (UC Berkeley), S. Jha (Rutgers University), A. Riess (JHU/STScI), J. Hjorth (Dark Cosmology Centre, Copenhagen), K. Schmidt (UC Santa Barbara), O. Graur (NYU/AMNH), M. Bradac (UC Davis), B. Weiner (Steward Observatory/UA), A. von der Linden (Dark Cosmology Centre, Copenhagen/KIPAC, Stanford), C. McCully (LCOGT/UC Santa Barbara), A. Molino (IAA-CSIC), J. Selsing (Dark Cosmology Centre, Copenhagen), M. Nonino (IAG/USP), and D. Coe (STScI).
The colour image is created from data from the following HST proposals: 13459: T. Treu (UCLA) et al. and the GLASS team, 13504 J. Lotz (STScI) et al. and the Frontier Fields team;
13790 : S. Rodney (JHU) et al. and the FrontierSN team;
14041 : P. Kelly (UCLA) et al. and the Refsdal team. - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFC3/IR (black and white images), and HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFC3/IR (color image)
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.Black and white images: October 30, 2015 (non-detection) and December 10, 2015 (detection); Color image: November 3, 2014 - December 14, 2014
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.Black and white images: F125W and F160W Color image:ACS/WFC: F606W and F814WWFC3/IR: F105W, F125W, F140W, and F160W
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.SN Refsdal, MACS J1149.5+2223, SN HFF14Ref, SX
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Reappearance of Gravitationally Lensed Supernova in Cluster MACS J1149.5+2223
- Release DateDecember 16, 2015
- Science ReleaseCaught in the Act: Hubble Captures First-Ever Predicted Exploding Star
- CreditNASA, ESA, and P. Kelly (University of California, Berkeley); Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, and S. Rodney (University of South Carolina) and the FrontierSN team; T. Treu (UCLA), P. Kelly (UC Berkeley) and the GLASS team; J. Lotz (STScI) and the Frontier Fields team; M. Postman (STScI) and the CLASH team; and Z. Levay (STScI)
The color image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. 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: F606W + F814WGreen: F105W + F125WRed: F140W + F160W
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
