File:Galactic Fossil Found Behind Curtain of Dust.jpg
Original file (3,000 × 1,500 pixels, file size: 1.81 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
Captions
Summary
[edit]DescriptionGalactic Fossil Found Behind Curtain of Dust.jpg |
English: This image mosaic shows the same patch of sky in various wavelengths of light. While the visible-light image (left) shows a dark sky speckled with stars, infrared images (middle and right), reveal a never-before-seen bundle of stars, called a globular cluster. The left panel is from the California Institute of Technology's Digitized Sky Survey; the middle panel includes images from the NASA-funded Two Micron All-Sky Survey and the University of Wyoming Infrared Observatory (circle inset); and the right panel is from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Globular clusters date back to the birth of our galaxy, 13 or so billion years ago. There are about 150 clusters sprinkled around the core of the galaxy like seeds in a pumpkin. Astronomers use these galactic "fossils" as tools for studying the age and formation of the Milky Way. Most clusters orbit around the center of the galaxy well above its dust-enshrouded disc, or plane, while making brief, repeated passes through the plane that each last about a million years. Spitzer, with infrared eyes that can see into the dusty galactic plane, first spotted the newfound cluster during its current pass. Astronomers then searched for past references to the cluster and found only one undocumented image from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey. Follow-up observations with the University of Wyoming Infrared Observatory helped set the distance of the new cluster at about 9,000 light-years from Earth -- closer than most clusters -- and set the mass at the equivalent of 300,000 Suns. The cluster's apparent size, as viewed from Earth, is comparable to a grain of rice held at arm's length. It is located in the constellation Aquila. Astronomers believe that this cluster may be one of the last in our galaxy to be uncovered. The Two Micron All-Sky Survey false-color image was obtained using near-infrared wavelengths ranging from 1.3 to 2.2 microns. The University of Wyoming Observatory false-color image was captured on July 31, 2004, at wavelengths ranging from 1.2 to 2.2 microns. The Spitzer false-color image composite was taken on April 21, 2004, by its infrared array camera. It is composed of images obtained at four mid-infrared wavelengths: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red).
|
Date | |
Source | http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1308-ssc2004-16b-Galactic-Fossil-Found-Behind-Curtain-of-Dust |
Author | NASA/JPL-Caltech/H. Kobulnicky (Univ. of Wyoming) |
Image use policy: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy
Licensing
[edit]Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.) | ||
Warnings:
|
File history
Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.
Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
current | 18:20, 21 June 2011 | 3,000 × 1,500 (1.81 MB) | Spitzersteph (talk | contribs) |
You cannot overwrite this file.
File usage on Commons
The following page uses this file:
- File:Glimpse-C01 (Spitzer).jpg (file redirect)
File usage on other wikis
The following other wikis use this file:
- Usage on pl.wikipedia.org
Metadata
This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.
Image title |
|
---|---|
Author | Spitzer Space Telescope |
Copyright holder | http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/mediaimages/copyright.shtml |
Short title |
|
Credit/Provider | NASA/JPL-Caltech/H. Kobulnicky (Univ. of Wyoming) |
Headline | This image mosaic shows the same patch of sky in various wavelengths of light. While the visible-light image (left) shows a dark sky speckled with stars, infrared images (middle and right), reveal a never-before-seen bundle of stars, called a globular cluster. |
Source | Spitzer Space Telescope |
Usage terms |
|
Date and time of data generation | 12 October 2004 |
Width | 3,000 px |
Height | 1,500 px |
Bits per component |
|
Compression scheme | LZW |
Pixel composition | RGB |
Orientation | Normal |
Number of components | 3 |
Horizontal resolution | 300 dpi |
Vertical resolution | 300 dpi |
Data arrangement | chunky format |
Software used | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Macintosh |
File change date and time | 14:41, 5 June 2009 |
Color space | sRGB |
Contact information |
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu 1200 E. California Blvd. Pasadena, CA, 91125 USA |
Keywords | GLIMPSE-C01 |
IIM version | 2 |