Snake in Galactic Plane (Spitzer)

 Snake in Galactic Plane (Spitzer)

The Snake is a serpentine-shaped, extremely filamentary cloud. In this infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope, the blue dots are stars relatively undimmed by dust, while the red dots are embedded, forming stars.

Credits

Image

NASA, Caltech, Sean Carey (SSC)

About The Object
Object Name IRDC G11.11-0.11
Object Description Thick cloud in galactic plane
R.A. Position 5:31:22.7
Dec. Position +12:15: 30.1
Constellation Orion
Distance 10,800 Light years
About The Data
Data Description Taken by the Spitzer Infrared Telescope
Instrument IRAC, MIPS
Filters 3600nm, 4500nm, 8000nm, 24000nm
About The Image
Color Info These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by Spitzer. 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: Violet: 3600nm Blue: 4500nm 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
  • Proposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
  • Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
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.