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Hubble Ultra Deep Field

Space field full of colorful galaxies of different sizes and shapes

This Hubble Space Telescope image, known as the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, reveals about 10,000 galaxies and combines ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light. Two programs that will use the James Webb Space Telescope will add more detail to this image, capturing thousands of additional galaxies in a fuller range of infrared light. Webb will return both imagery and data known as spectra, providing more details about some of the earliest galaxies to exist in the universe for the first time.

This image was captured before the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. No Webb data are shown in this image.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    03h 32m 39.99s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -27° 48' 0.0"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Fornax
  • 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.
    The image is 3 arc minutes square

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.

    This image was created from HST data from the following proposal: 9978: S. Beckwith, S. Malhotra, M. Giavalisco, N. Panagia, J. Rhoads, M. Stiavelli, R. Somerville, S. Casertano, B. Margon, C. Blades, J. Caldwell, and M. Clampin (STScI), M. Corbin (CSC), M. Dickinson, H. Ferguson, and A. Fruchter (STScI), R. Hook (STScI/ECF), S. Jogee, A. Koekemoer, R. Lucas, M. Sosey and L. Bergeron (STScI).

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    September 24, 2003 - January 16, 2004, Exposure Time: 11.3 days
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F435W (B), F606W (V), F775W (i), F850LP (z)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Hubble Ultra Deep Field, HUDF
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Optical Survey
  • Release Date
    June 22, 2022
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb to Uncover Riches of the Early Universe
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, HUDF Team, Steven Beckwith (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 6200 × 6200
    tif (119.57 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 6200 × 6200
    png (81.68 MB)
  • 2000 × 2000
    png (7.46 MB)
Space field full of colorful galaxies of different sizes and shapes
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

Blue: F435W (B) Green: F606W (V) + F775W (i) Red: F850LP (z)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Science Credit

NASA, ESA, HUDF Team, Steven Beckwith (STScI)

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