Hubble image archive
AB Aurigae b Hubble Images
Researchers were able to directly image newly forming exoplanet AB Aurigae b over a 13-year span using Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and its Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph (NICMOS). In the top right, Hubble's NICMOS image captured in 200...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2022
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2022-016-01fzfyr3tq0bmtt2hv73v8hs1y
Researchers were able to directly image newly forming exoplanet AB Aurigae b over a 13-year span using Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and its Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph (NICMOS).
In the top right, Hubble's NICMOS image captured in 2007 shows AB Aurigae b in a due south position compared to its host star, which is covered by the instrument's coronagraph. The image captured in 2021 by STIS shows the protoplanet has moved in a counterclockwise motion over time.
Credits
Science
NASA, ESA, Thayne Currie (Subaru Telescope, Eureka Scientific Inc.)
Image Processing
Thayne Currie (Subaru Telescope, Eureka Scientific Inc.), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | AB Aurigae b |
| Object Description | Jupiter-like protoplanet |
| R.A. Position | 04 55 45.8 |
| Dec. Position | +30 03 04.3 |
| Constellation | Auriga |
| Distance | About 520 light-years |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | HST observations include those from programs (M. Perrin) and (T. Currie) |
| Instrument | HST>STIS, HST>NICMOS |
| Exposure Dates | 14 Sept. 2007, 04 Jan 2021, 08 Feb 2021, 03 Mar. 2021 |
| Filters | These images are exposures acquired by the NICMOS and STIS instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning a color map to a monochromatic (grayscale) image. |
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov