Star-Studded Skyfield

Esahubble_potw2231a_1024

esahubble_potw2231a August 1st, 2022

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen

This star-studded image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the heart of the globular cluster NGC 6638 in the constellation Sagittarius. The star-strewn observation highlights the density of stars at the heart of globular clusters, which are stable, tightly bound clusters of tens of thousands to millions of stars. To capture the data in this image, Hubble used two of its cutting-edge astronomical instruments: Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys.  Hubble revolutionised the study of globular clusters, as it is almost impossible to clearly distinguish the stars in globular clusters with ground-based telescopes. The blurring caused by Earth’s atmosphere makes it impossible to tell one star from another, but from Hubble’s location in low Earth orbit the atmosphere no longer poses a problem. As a result, Hubble has been used to study what kind of stars globular clusters are made up of, how they evolve, and the role of gravity in these dense systems. The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will further our understanding of globular clusters by peering into those globular clusters that are currently obscured by dust. Webb will predominantly observe at infrared wavelengths, which are less affected by the gas and dust surrounding newborn stars. This will allow astronomers to inspect star clusters that are freshly formed, providing insights into stellar populations before they have a chance to evolve.  Links Video of A Star-Studded Skyfield

Provider: Hubble Space Telescope | ESA

Image Source: https://esahubble.org/images/potw2231a/

Curator: ESA/Hubble, Baltimore, MD, United States

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
NGC 6638
Esahubble_potw2231a_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 18h 30m 56.4s
DEC = -25° 29’ 51.9”
Orientation
North is 220.0° CW
Field of View
2.2 x 2.1 arcminutes
Constellation
Sagittarius

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Red Hubble (WFC3) Infrared (H) 1.6 µm
Green Hubble (WFC3) Infrared (YJ) 1.1 µm
Blue Hubble (ACS) Optical (V) 606.0 nm
Spectrum_base
Red
Green
Blue
Esahubble_potw2231a_1280
×
ID
potw2231a
Subject Category
Subject Name
NGC 6638
Credits
ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen
Release Date
2022-08-01T06:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://esahubble.org/images/potw2231a/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope
Instrument
WFC3, WFC3, ACS
Color Assignment
Red, Green, Blue
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Optical
Bandpass
H, YJ, V
Central Wavelength
1600, 1100, 606
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
None, None, None
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
277.7350144478108, -25.49775391480935
Reference Dimension
2611.0, 2516.0
Reference Pixel
1305.5, 1258.0
Scale
-1.3894826155597776e-05, 1.3894826155597776e-05
Rotation
-219.99999999999937
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
ESA/Hubble
URL
https://esahubble.org
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
ESA Office, Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Dr
City
Baltimore
State/Province
MD
Postal Code
21218
Country
United States
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
ESA/Hubble
Publisher ID
esahubble
Resource ID
potw2231a
Metadata Date
2022-07-22T16:21:50+02:00
Metadata Version
1.1
×

 

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×

There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

Providers | Sign In