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AU Mic (NIRCam Image)
These two images are of the dusty debris disk around AU Mic, a red dwarf star located 32 light-years away in the southern constellation Microscopium. The team used Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) to study AU Mic. NIRCam’s coronagraph, which blocked the intense light of the central star, allowed the team to study the region very close to the star. The location of the star, which is masked out, is marked by a white, graphical representation at the center of each image. The region blocked by the coronagraph is shown by a dashed circle.
Webb provided images at 3.56 microns (top, blue) and 4.44 microns (bottom, red). The team found that the disk was brighter at the shorter or “bluer” wavelength, likely meaning that it contains a lot of fine dust that is more efficient at scattering shorter wavelengths of light.
The NIRCam images allowed the researchers to trace the disk, which spans a diameter of 60 astronomical units (5.6 billion miles), as close to the star as 5 astronomical units (460 million miles) – the equivalent of Jupiter’s orbit in our solar system. The images were more detailed and brighter than the team expected, and scientists were able to image the disk closer to the star than expected.
Extended Description and Image Alt Text
Extended Description
This image shows two views of the dusty debris disk around the red dwarf star AU Mic.
Top Panel
The top panel shows the first view of the disk, at 3.56 microns. It appears as two narrow, blue arrowheads laid out horizontally with their tips pointing outward. Going across the center of each arrowhead is a bright, light blue horizontal line with wide, fuzzy edges. Between the arrowheads is a black area outlined by a white, dashed circle, and in the center of that region is a white, graphical representation of a star. This cartoonish star represents AU Mic, which is blocked out in this image by Webb’s NIRCam coronagraph.
Bottom Panel
The bottom panel shows the second view of the disk, at 4.44 microns. It features two narrow, red arrowheads laid out horizontally with their tips pointing outward. Going across the center of each arrowhead is an orangey red horizontal line with wide, fuzzy edges. This line is bright, but not as bright as the one in the top panel. Between the arrowheads is a black area outlined by a white, dashed circle, and in the center of that region is a white, graphical representation of a star. As in the top panel, this cartoonish star represents AU Mic, which is blocked out in this image by Webb’s NIRCam coronagraph.
Image Alt Text
This image shows two views of the dusty debris disk around the red dwarf star AU Mic. The top panel is the disk at 3.56 microns. The disk appears as a fuzzy, blue, horizontal line broken in the middle by a black region outlined by a white, dashed circle. In the center of that region is a white, graphical star, which represents AU Mic. The actual star is blocked out in this image by Webb’s NIRCam coronagraph. The bottom panel is the second view of the disk, at 4.44 microns. The disk appears as a fuzzy, red, horizontal line broken in the middle by a black region outlined by a white, dashed circle. As in the top panel, in the center of that region is a cartoonish star representing AU Mic. The actual star is blocked out by the NIRCam’s coronagraph. Please reference the extended text description for more details.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.20:45:9.49
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-31:20:26.99
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Microscopium
- 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.32 light-years (9.79 parsecs)
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.This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 1184 (J. Schlieder).
- InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.NIRCam
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.03 Oct 2022
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F356W, F444W
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.AU Mic, AU Micrscopii
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Debris Disk Around Nearby Star
- Release DateJanuary 11, 2023
- Science ReleaseNew Webb Image Reveals Dusty Disk Like Never Seen Before
- CreditNASA, ESA, CSA, Kellen Lawson (NASA-GSFC), Joshua Schlieder (NASA-GSFC); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
The images are separate exposures acquired by the NIRCam instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope. The color results from assigning a cyan and red hue to monochromatic (grayscale) images.
Related Images & Videos
AU Mic (NIRCam Compass Image)
These coronagraphic images of a disk around the star AU Microscopii, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), show compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the...
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Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov
NASA, ESA, CSA, Kellen Lawson (NASA-GSFC), Joshua Schlieder (NASA-GSFC)
Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
