An image from the Spitzer Space Telescope shows an area of the center of the Milky Way known as the Brick. More than 100,000 times the mass of the Sun, the Brick doesn’t seem to be forming any massive stars — yet. But based on its immense mass in such a small area, if it does form stars — as scientists think it should — it would be one of the most massive star clusters in the Milky Way galaxy.
Credits
Image
NASA, Caltech, Solange V. Ramirez (NExScI, Caltech)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Description | Dark, thick nebula in center of Milky Way |
| R.A. Position | 17:45:37.2 |
| Dec. Position | -28:56:10.2 |
| Distance | 108000 |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Images were taken from the Spitzer Space Telescope |
| Instrument | IRAC, MIPS |
| Filters | 3600nm, 8000nm, 24000nm |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the Spitzer Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample specific infrared 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: 3600nm Green: 8000nm Red: 24000nm |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
