This image of NGC 5468, a galaxy located about 130 million light-years from Earth, combines data from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. This is the farthest galaxy in which Hubble has identified Cepheid variable stars. These are important milepost markers for measuring the expansion rate of the universe. The distance calculated from Cepheids has been cross-correlated with a type Ia supernova in the galaxy. Type Ia supernovae are so bright they are used to measure cosmic distances far beyond the range of the Cepheids, extending measurements of the universe's expansion rate deeper into space.
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Adam G. Riess (JHU, STScI)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 5468 |
| Object Description | Spiral galaxy, cepheids host galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 14:06:35.01 |
| Dec. Position | -05:27:15.72 |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | About 130 million light-years |
| Dimensions | Image is about 2.1 arcminutes across (about 75,000 light-years) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | This image was created with Webb and Hubble data from proposals: and (A. Riess). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI). |
| Instrument | Hubble>WFC3/UVIS Webb>NIRCam |
| Exposure Dates | Hubble> 28 December 2017- 25 March 2018 Webb> 28 June 2023, 15 July 2023 |
| Filters | Hubble> F555W, F814W Webb> F277W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope using the WFC3 instrument and 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: F555W, Green: F814W, Red: F277W |
| 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. |
