This panchromatic view of galaxy cluster MACS0416 was created by combining infrared observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with visible-light data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. To make the image, in general the shortest wavelengths of light were color-coded blue, the longest wavelengths red, and intermediate wavelengths green. The resulting wavelength coverage, from 0.4 to 5 microns, reveals a vivid landscape of galaxies that could be described as one of the most colorful views of the universe ever created.
MACS0416 is a galaxy cluster located about 4.3 billion light-years from Earth, meaning that light we see now left the cluster shortly after the formation of our solar system. This cluster magnifies the light from more distant background galaxies through gravitational lensing. As a result, the research team has been able to identify magnified supernovae and even very highly magnified individual stars.
Those colors give clues to galaxy distances: The bluest galaxies are relatively nearby and often show intense star formation, as best detected by Hubble, while the redder galaxies tend to be more distant, or else contain copious amount of dust, as detected by Webb. The image reveals a wealth of details that are only possible to capture by combining the power of both space telescopes.
In this image, blue represents data at wavelengths of 0.435 and 0.606 microns (Hubble filters F435W and F606W); cyan is 0.814, 0.9, and 1.05 microns (Hubble filters F814W, and F105W and Webb filter F090W); green is 1.15, 1.25, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 microns (Hubble filters F125W, F140W, and F160W, and Webb filters F115W and F150W); yellow is 2.00 and 2.77 microns (Webb filters F200W, and F277W); orange is 3.56 microns (Webb filter F356W); and red represents data at 4.1 and 4.44 microns (Webb filters F410M and F444W).
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Jose M. Diego (IFCA), Jordan C. J. D'Silva (UWA), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Jake Summers (ASU), Rogier Windhorst (ASU), Haojing Yan (University of Missouri)
About The Object | |
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Object Name | MACS J0416.1-2403 |
Object Description | Lensing Galaxy Cluster |
R.A. Position | 04:16:9.89 |
Dec. Position | -24:03:58.0 |
Constellation | Eridanus |
About The Data | |
Data Description | This image was created with Hubble data from proposals (M. Postman), (J. Lotz), and (S. Rodney) as well as Webb data from proposals: and (R. Windhorst). Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) |
Instrument | HST ACS & WFC3; JWST NIRCam |
Exposure Dates | HST: July 2012 - Feb 2023 JWST: 7 Oct 2022, 29 Dec 2022, 10 Feb 2022 |
Filters | HST ACS: F435W, F606W, F814W; WFC3/IR: F105W, F125W, F140W, F160W; JWST NIRCam: F090W, F115W, F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, F410M, F444W |
About The Image | |
Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes using the ACS, WFC3, and NIRCam instruments. Multiple filters were used to sample broad and 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: Red: F444W and F410M, Orange: F356W, Yellow: F277W and F200W, Green: F160W, F150W, F140W, F125W, F115W, Cyan: F090W, F105W, F814W, Blue: F606W, F435W |
Compass Image |
About The Object | |
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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 |
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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. |