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II Zw 096 (Hubble)

Telescope image of two irregular-shaped galaxies interacting with each other.

These merging galaxies, known as II Zw 096, are the site of a spectacular burst of star formation that is hinted at in the red speckles near the middle of the image. This dust-shrouded area conceals a brilliant burst of star formation that becomes more apparent at longer wavelengths of infrared light.

The image above combines near-infrared, visible, and far-ultraviolet observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. Researchers using infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope estimated the starburst, which lives in a small red region at the center of this image, is cranking out stars at the breakneck pace of around 100 solar masses per year. The upcoming James Webb Space Telescope will allow researchers to penetrate the dust and search for a buried, rapidly growing supermassive black hole.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    20h 57m 24.3s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    17° 7' 40.3"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Delphinus
  • 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.
    525 million lightyears

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.
    The HST observations include those from the Program 10592 (A. Evans).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    ACS/WFC and ACS/SBC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    April 15, 2006 and May 01, 2008
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F140LP, F435W, F814W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    II Zw 096
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Interacting Galaxies
  • Release Date
    September 23, 2020
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Will Explore the Cores of Merging Galaxies
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, Caltech, H. Inami (Hiroshima University)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 1800 × 1800
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Telescope image of two irregular-shaped galaxies interacting with each other.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow 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: F140LP Green: F435W Red: F814W

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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

Image Credit

NASA, Caltech, H. Inami (Hiroshima University)

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