These merging galaxies, known as II Zw 096, are the site of a spectacular burst of star formation that is hinted at in the red speckles near the middle of the image. This dust-shrouded area conceals a brilliant burst of star formation that becomes more apparent at longer wavelengths of infrared light.
The image above combines near-infrared, visible, and far-ultraviolet observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. Researchers using infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope estimated the starburst, which lives in a small red region at the center of this image, is cranking out stars at the breakneck pace of around 100 solar masses per year. The upcoming James Webb Space Telescope will allow researchers to penetrate the dust and search for a buried, rapidly growing supermassive black hole.
Credits
Image
NASA, Caltech, H. Inami (Hiroshima University)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | II Zw 096 |
| Object Description | Interacting Galaxies |
| R.A. Position | 20h 57m 24.3s |
| Dec. Position | 17° 7' 40.3" |
| Constellation | Delphinus |
| Distance | 525 million lightyears |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from the Program (A. Evans). |
| Instrument | ACS/WFC and ACS/SBC |
| Exposure Dates | April 15, 2006 and May 01, 2008 |
| Filters | F140LP, F435W, F814W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow 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: F140LP Green: F435W Red: F814W |
| 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. |
