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NGC 7469 (Hubble)
Since the galaxies that make up NGC 7469 are both almost face-on when viewed from Earth, it's easier to identify the areas where a black hole may exist. A powerful accreting supermassive black hole, surrounded by a ring of young stars, lives at the heart of the galaxy in the upper right. High-resolution infrared imagery from the James Webb Space Telescope is required to determine if the stars form differently around a central supermassive black hole compared to star formation farther out in the galaxy's arms. Webb will also help researchers trace the gas outflows, which will help pinpoint where and how the interstellar medium is affected, which subsequently drives or quenches star formation.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.23h 3m 16.92s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.08° 53' 6.39"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Pegasus
- 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.200 million light-years (50 million 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.The HST observations include those from the Program 10592 (A. Evans). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.ACS/WFC
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.June 11, 2002, Exposure Time: 33 minutes
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F435W, F814W
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.NGC 7469, QSO J2303+0852, Arp 298, Mrk 1514, IC 5283, KPG 575A
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Interacting Galaxies
- Release DateSeptember 23, 2020
- Science ReleaseNASA’s Webb Will Explore the Cores of Merging Galaxies
- CreditImage: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage–ESA/Hubble Collaboration, Aaron Evans (UVA, NRAO, State University of New York at Stony Brook)
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: F435W Red: F814W
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Details
Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov
NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage?ESA/Hubble Collaboration, Aaron Evans (UVA, NRAO, State University of New York at Stony Brook)
