Hubble image archive
SPT0615-JD Lensed Galaxy (z~10)
Stretched Out Image of Distant GalaxyThis is a Hubble Space Telescope image of the farthest galaxy yet seen in an image that has been stretched and amplified by a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. The embryonic galaxy, named SPT0615-JD, existed when the universe was just 5...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2018
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2018-02-4099-image
Stretched Out Image of Distant Galaxy
This is a Hubble Space Telescope image of the farthest galaxy yet seen in an image that has been stretched and amplified by a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. The embryonic galaxy, named SPT0615-JD, existed when the universe was just 500 million years old. Though a few other primitive galaxies have been seen at this early epoch, they have essentially all looked like red dots, given their small size and tremendous distances. However, in this case, the gravitational field of a massive foreground galaxy cluster, called SPT-CL J0615-5746, not only amplified the light from the background galaxy but also smeared the image of it into an arc (about 2 arcseconds long). Image analysis shows that the galaxy weighs in at no more than 3 billion solar masses (roughly 1/100th the mass of our fully grown Milky Way galaxy). It is less than 2,500 light-years across, half the size of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. The object is considered prototypical of young galaxies that emerged during the epoch shortly after the big bang.
Credits
NASA , ESA, and B. Salmon (STScI)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Galaxy Cluster: SPT-CL J0615-5746 (z=0.972); Lensed Galaxy: SPT0615-JD (z~10.0) |
| Object Description | Galaxy cluster and distant lensed galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 06:15:49.7 |
| Dec. Position | -57:46:41 |
| Constellation | Pictor |
| Distance | Galaxy Cluster: 7.7 billion light-years; Lensed Galaxy: 13.243 billion light-years |
| Dimensions | Image is 2 arcmin across (about 4.5 million light-years at the distance of the cluster) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from programs (F. High) and (D. Coe). |
| Instrument | ACS/WFC, WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | January 2012 and February - March 2017 |
| Filters | F606W, F814W, F105W, F125W, F140W, F160W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS/WFC and WFC3/IR instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample various 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: F606W Green: F814W Red: F105W + F125W + F140W + F160W |
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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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