About The Object

Object Name

A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.

Object Description

The type of astronomical object.

R.A. Position

Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.

Dec. Position

Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.

Constellation

One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.

Distance

The 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.

Dimensions

The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.

About The Data

Data Description

Proposal: 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.

Instrument

The science instrument used to produce the data.

Exposure Dates

The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.

Filters

The camera filters that were used in the science observations.

About The Image

Color Info

A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

Compass and Scale Image

An astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.