El Gordo (NIRCam Image)

El Gordo (NIRCam Image)

Webb’s infrared image of the galaxy cluster El Gordo (“the Fat One”) reveals hundreds of galaxies, some never before seen at this level of detail. El Gordo acts as a gravitational lens, distorting and magnifying the light from distant background galaxies. Two of the most prominent features in the image include the Thin One, located just below and left of the image center, and the Fishhook, a red swoosh at upper right. Both are lensed background galaxies.

Credits

Image

NASA, ESA, CSA

Science

Jose M. Diego (IFCA), Brenda Frye (University of Arizona), Patrick Kamieneski (ASU), Tim Carleton (ASU), Rogier Windhorst (ASU)

Image Processing

Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Jake Summers (ASU), Jordan C. J. D'Silva (UWA), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Aaron Robotham (UWA), Rogier Windhorst (ASU)

About The Object
Object Name El Gordo, ACT-CL J0102-4915, SPT-CL J0102-4915
Object Description Galaxy Cluster
R.A. Position 01:02:55
Dec. Position -49:15:38
Constellation Phoenix
Distance Cluster is 7.6 billion light-years (2.3 billion parsecs)
Dimensions Image is about 2.3 arcminutes across (6 million light-years)
About The Data
Data Description This image was created with Webb data from proposal: (R. A. Windhorst).
Instrument NIRCam
Exposure Dates 29 July 2022
Filters F115W, F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, F444W
About The Image
Color Info This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample wide 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: F115W+F150W Green: F200W + F277W Red: F356W + F444W
Compass Image A black background is scattered with hundreds of small galaxies of different shapes, ranging in color from white to yellow to red. Some galaxies are distorted, appearing to be stretched out or mirror imaged. Near the center, a particularly long and thin line stretches from ten o’clock to four o’clock. At upper right, a red swoosh extends about three-quarters of the way around a pair of galaxies. A handful of foreground stars display eight diffraction spikes.
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.

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