Sombrero Galaxy (Hubble and Webb Image)
About This Image
Caption
This image compares the view of the famous Sombrero Galaxy in mid-infrared light (top) and visible light (bottom). The James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) reveals the smooth inner disk of the galaxy, while the Hubble Space Telescope’s visible-light image shows the large and extended glow of the central bulge of stars.
Both the Webb and Hubble images resolve the clumpy nature of the dust that makes up the Sombrero Galaxy’s outer ring.
About The Object
- Object Name
- Sombrero Galaxy, M104
- Object Description
- Edge-on lenticular galaxy
- R.A. Position
- 12:39:59.42
- Dec. Position
- -11:37:23
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Distance
- About 29 million light-years away
About The Data
- Data Description
- This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 6565 (M. Garcia Marin). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI).
- Instrument
- MIRI
- Exposure Dates
- 7 June 2024
- Filters
- F770W, F1130W, F1280W
About The Image
- Color Info
- These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the MIRI instrument. Several filters were used to sample wide 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: F770W, Green: F1130W, Red: F1280W
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.
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.
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