Now You See a Tail, Now You Don't

Galex_glx2010-02f_img02_1024

galex_glx2010-02f_img02 June 17th, 2010

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SDSS

NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer found a tail behind a galaxy called IC 3418. The star-studded tail can be seen on the left, as detected by the space telescope in ultraviolet light. The tail has escaped detection in visible light, taken by a visible-light telescope on the ground. This tail was created as the galaxy plunged into gas in a family of galaxies known as the Virgo cluster.

This image is a composite of data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (far-ultraviolet light is dark blue and near-ultraviolet light is light blue); and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (visible light is colored green and red).

Other galaxies and stars can be seen scattered throughout the image. Another galaxy called IC 3413, which is part of the Virgo cluster, can be seen to the right of IC 3418 as an oval-shaped blob. The bright large dot at upper right is a star in our Milky Way galaxy.

Provider: Galaxy Evolution Explorer

Image Source: http://www.galex.caltech.edu/media/glx2010-02f_img01.html

Curator: Galaxy Evolutin Explorer, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

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  • Full Size Image (2700 x 2700)

Image Details Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
IC 3418
Subject - Local Universe
Galaxy > Type > Irregular

Distance Details Distance

Universescale2
54,000,000 light years
Galex_glx2010-02f_img02_128
 

Position Details Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 12h 29m 43.8s
DEC = 11° 24’ 9.4”
Orientation
North is up
Field of View
18.0 x 18.0 arcminutes
Constellation
Virgo

Color Mapping Details Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue GALEX Ultraviolet (FUV) 150.0 nm
Cyan GALEX Ultraviolet (NUV) 230.0 nm
Green SDSS Optical (G-band) 476.0 nm
Red SDSS Optical (R-band) 700.0 nm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Cyan
Green
Red
Galex_glx2010-02f_img02_1280
×
ID
glx2010-02f_img02
Subject Category
C.5.1.6.  
Subject Name
IC 3418
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SDSS
Release Date
2010-06-17
Lightyears
54,000,000
Redshift
0.085600
Reference Url
http://www.galex.caltech.edu/media/glx2010-02f_img01.html
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
GALEX, GALEX, SDSS, SDSS
Instrument
Color Assignment
Blue, Cyan, Green, Red
Band
Ultraviolet, Ultraviolet, Optical, Optical
Bandpass
FUV, NUV, G-band, R-band
Central Wavelength
150, 230, 476, 700
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
187.432580, 11.402600
Reference Dimension
2700, 2700
Reference Pixel
1350.5, 1350.5
Scale
-1.11111000000000e-04, 1.11111000000000e-04
Rotation
0
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Position
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Galaxy Evolutin Explorer
URL
http://www.galex.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Galaxy Evolution Explorer
Publisher ID
galex
Resource ID
Resource URL
/image/galex/glx2010-02f_img02
Related Resources
Metadata Date
2019-02-27T22:17:52Z
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
54,000,000 light years

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NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The award is part of NASA’s Science Activation program, which strives to further enable NASA science experts and content into the learning environment more effectively and efficiently with learners of all ages.