Dark Energy Camera Images Cometary Globule CG 4

Noirlab_noirlab2412a_1024

noirlab_noirlab2412a May 6th, 2024

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURAImage Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

This cloudy, ominous structure is CG 4, a cometary globule nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’. CG 4 is one of many cometary globules present within the Milky Way, and how these objects get their distinct form is still a matter of debate among astronomers. This image was captured by the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. In it, the features that classify CG 4 as a cometary globule are hard to miss. Its dusty head and long, faint tail vaguely resemble the appearance of a comet, though they have nothing in common. Astronomers theorize that cometary globules get their structure from the stellar winds of nearby hot, massive stars.

Provider: NOIRLab

Image Source: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2412a/

Curator: NSF's NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Image Details Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
CG4
Noirlab_noirlab2412a_128
 

Position Details Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 7h 32m 32.7s
DEC = -47° 0’ 17.7”
Orientation
North is up
Field of View
1.6 x 1.2 degrees
Constellation
Puppis

Color Mapping Details Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Blanco-4m (DECam) Optical (g) 473.0 nm
Orange Blanco-4m (DECam) Optical (i) 784.0 nm
Red Blanco-4m (DECam) Optical (N662) 662.0 nm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Orange
Red
Noirlab_noirlab2412a_1280
×
ID
noirlab2412a
Subject Category
Subject Name
CG4
Credits
CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURAImage Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date
2024-05-06T13:36:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2412a/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
Instrument
DECam, DECam, DECam
Color Assignment
Blue, Orange, Red
Band
Optical, Optical, Optical
Bandpass
g, i, N662
Central Wavelength
473, 784, 662
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
None, None, None
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
113.136168164, -47.0049267621
Reference Dimension
20978.0, 15958.0
Reference Pixel
10489.5, 7978.5
Scale
-7.50020717037489e-05, 7.49981835155484e-05
Rotation
0.034014109930467
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
NSF's NOIRLab
URL
https://noirlab.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
950 North Cherry Ave.
City
Tucson
State/Province
AZ
Postal Code
85719
Country
USA
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
NSF's NOIRLab
Publisher ID
noirlab
Resource ID
noirlab2412a
Metadata Date
2024-04-07T17:02:58+02:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

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