Zooming In on the Andromeda Galaxy explained

Zooming In on the Andromeda Galaxy
Image Upright:1.2
Other Title 1:Gigapixels of Andromeda
Artist:NASA, using the Hubble Space Telescope
Year:2015
Type:Panorama
Subject:Andromeda Galaxy
Dimensions:69,536 × 22,230 pixels

Zooming In on the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Gigapixels of Andromeda, is a 2015 composite photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy produced by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is 1.5 billion pixels in size, and is the largest image ever taken by the telescope. At the time of its release to the public, the image was one of the largest ever taken.

In late 2011, the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) was set up,[1] which was tasked with mapping one-third of the stars within the Andromeda Galaxy. As of 2024, the survey has detected an estimated 117,000,000 astronomical objects using six light filters.[2] [3]

The image depicts the right-most side of the Andromeda Galaxy's galactic disc in visible light,[4] [5] and the displayed section is approximately 61,000 light-years across.[6] [7] The image shows the galaxy's 100 million stars of varying types and thousands of star clusters.[6] [8] [9] In the bottom-left of the image is the galaxy's nucleus, and dust lanes are also visible.[10] Several other deep-space objects are visible in the image, including background galaxies. Stars within the Milky Way are also visible, and are typically larger than stars within the Andromeda Galaxy.[11] [12]

The final composite was stitched together using 411 exposures taken from July 2010 to October 2013,[13] and the image was first displayed at the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, Washington.[14] The mosaic is the largest and sharpest composite photograph ever taken of the Andromeda Galaxy, and the largest ever taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.[15] At the time of its release, the image was also one of the largest throughout all photographs.[16] The image has been used to help astronomers detect more Andromeda-like spiral galaxies using light.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: January 21, 2015 . Hubble Snaps 1.5 Billion-Pixel Close-Up of Andromeda Galaxy . October 18, 2024 . NBC News . en.
  2. Web site: Astro Data Lab – Survey Data . October 18, 2024 . datalab.noirlab.edu . May 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520071457/https://datalab.noirlab.edu/phat/index.php . live .
  3. Web site: PHAT . October 18, 2024 . MAST . en.
  4. Web site: January 5, 2015 . Hubble takes the biggest image ever of Andromeda at 1.5 billion pixels . October 18, 2024 . cosmosmagazine.com . en-AU . June 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240618020111/https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/hubble-takes-the-biggest-image-ever-of-andromeda-at-1-5-billion-pixels/ . live .
  5. Web site: Malewar . Amit . August 2, 2022 . NASA shares the largest-ever image of the Andromeda galaxy . October 18, 2024 . Tech Explorist . en-US . May 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240522202856/https://www.techexplorist.com/nasa-shares-largest-ever-image-andromeda-galaxy/52843/ . live .
  6. Web site: ESO . Andromeda in HD – Hubble captures the sharpest ever view of neighbouring spiral Galaxy . October 18, 2024 . www.esahubble.org . en.
  7. Web site: Hubble's High-Definition Panoramic View of the Andromeda Galaxy . October 18, 2024 . HubbleSite . en . August 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230823184342/https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2015/news-2015-02.html . live .
  8. Web site: ESA Science & Technology – Sharpest ever view of the Andromeda Galaxy . October 18, 2024 . sci.esa.int . July 31, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240731063515/https://sci.esa.int/web/hubble/-/55194-sharpest-ever-view-of-the-andromeda-galaxy . live .
  9. Web site: January 20, 2015 . This Incredible 1.5-Billion-Pixel Image Is the Biggest Hubble Picture Ever . October 18, 2024 . Popular Mechanics . en-US . February 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230205183729/https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a13627/hubble-space-telescope-takes-biggest-picture-ever-andromeda-17653078/ . live .
  10. Web site: January 22, 2015 . Hubble captures sharpest ever image of Andromeda . October 18, 2024 . New Atlas . en-US . June 17, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240617123934/https://newatlas.com/hubble-space-telescope-andromeda-galaxy-15-billion-pixels/35728/ . live .
  11. Web site: ESA Science & Technology – Annotated section of Hubble image of the Andromeda Galaxy . October 18, 2024 . sci.esa.int . October 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211026025513/https://sci.esa.int/web/hubble/-/55197-annotated-section-of-hubble-image-of-the-andromeda-galaxy . live .
  12. Web site: Malewar . Amit . August 2, 2022 . NASA shares the largest-ever image of the Andromeda galaxy . October 18, 2024 . Tech Explorist . en-US . May 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240522202856/https://www.techexplorist.com/nasa-shares-largest-ever-image-andromeda-galaxy/52843/ . live .
  13. Web site: Trembley . Bob . January 9, 2015 . High-Definition Panoramic View of the Andromeda Galaxy . October 18, 2024 . Vatican Observatory . en-US . July 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240716072148/https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/sacred-space-astronomy/high-definition-panoramic-view-of-the-andromeda-galaxy/ . live .
  14. Web site: January 20, 2015 . NASA releases largest picture ever taken . October 18, 2024 . kvue.com . en-US.
  15. Web site: NASA shows largest image ever of Andromeda Galaxy . October 18, 2024 . USA TODAY . en-US . February 5, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205154410/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/20/nasa-largest-picture-andromeda-galaxy/22052513/ . live .
  16. Web site: January 20, 2015 . NASA releases largest picture ever taken . October 18, 2024 . . en-US.

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