Hubble image archive
GRB 200522A
This image shows the glow from a kilonova caused by the merger of two neutron stars. The kilonova, whose peak brightness reaches up to 10,000 times that of a classical nova, appears as a bright spot (indicated by the arrow) to the upper left of the host galaxy. The merger of the...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2020
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2020-48-4769-image
This image shows the glow from a kilonova caused by the merger of two neutron stars. The kilonova, whose peak brightness reaches up to 10,000 times that of a classical nova, appears as a bright spot (indicated by the arrow) to the upper left of the host galaxy. The merger of the neutron stars is believed to have produced a magnetar, which has an extremely powerful magnetic field. The energy from that magnetar brightened the material ejected from the explosion.
Credits
NASA, ESA, W. Fong (Northwestern University), and T. Laskar (University of Bath, UK)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | GRB 200522A |
| Object Description | Kilonova |
| R.A. Position | 00:22:43.71 |
| Dec. Position | -00:16:57.52 |
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | About 5.4 billion light years away |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from program (E. Berger) |
| Instrument | WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | 26 May 2020 |
| Filters | F125W, F160W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/IR instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample specific 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: F125W Orange: F160W |
More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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