Observación simulada de WFIRST de la galaxia de Andrómeda

This simulated image of a portion of the Andromeda galaxy highlights the high resolution, large field of view, and unique footprint of NASA’s upcoming Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST).

Made using data from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) program, the image spans approximately 34,000 light-years, or about 1/5 of the full disk of Andromeda, showcasing the red and near-infrared light of more than 50 million individual stars. Red and green represent near-infrared light, while blue represents visible red light.

The image runs from the edge of the bright core of the galaxy on the lower left, out along and across several of the galaxy’s spiral arms in the middle and right.

WFIRST’s Wide Field Instrument (WFI) consists of 18 square detectors, each with 4096 × 4096 pixels. The area imaged by each detector is outlined in white. In total, the footprint covers about 0.28 square degrees of the sky, or about 1⅓ times the area covered by the full Moon, and represents the area that will be imaged in a single pointing of WFIRST (not 18 separate pointings). For comparison, Hubble’s infrared camera covers less than 1/150th the area covered by the full Moon.

The black space between the white outlines represents chip gaps: areas between detectors where data are not recorded. When WFIRST is operating, these gaps can be filled by moving the telescope slightly and combining exposures.

The black regions within some of the detector squares are gaps in the Hubble PHAT data used to create the simulated image. In an actual WFIRST image of Andromeda, each square would be completely filled with near-infrared light from the stars, gas, and dust of the galaxy.

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