A new Hubble image haspresented a stunning glimpse of the nuclear star cluster known toshroud Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) – the supermassive black hole thatlurks at the heart of our galaxy. The spectacular 50 light-year wideimage was captured in the infrared spectrum by Hubble's Wide FieldCamera 3.
The image is comprisedof nine separate shots captured from Hubble's perspective, gazingtoward the galactic core from 27,000 light-years away in the OrionSpur of the Perseus spiral arm. The infrared wavelengthsof light captured by Hubble are invisible to the naked eye.
In order to allow us tocomprehend the multitude of stars located near the galactic center,astronomers assigned each of the different infrared wavelengthsvisible colors. Foreground stars are displayed with a blueish tinge,while the more red-colored stars are those residing in the distantnuclear cluster.
Whilst the scenecaptured by the orbital telescope is undoubtedly impressive, it is inreality only a small section of the vast star cluster. Astronomersestimate that, despite Hubble's infrared capabilities, which are ableto penetrate the vast clouds of gas and dust that would otherwiseveil our view of the nuclear cluster, there around 10 million starsthat are too faint to be captured in the image.
Astronomers have usedimages such as this latest release in order to track the movement ofthe stars over the course of a four-year period. It's hoped that theobservations could improve our understanding of the Milky Way'scentral cluster, providing insights as to its structure and weight.
Source: NASA
A new Hubble image haspresented a stunning glimpse of the nuclear star cluster known toshroud Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) – the supermassive black hole thatlurks at the heart of our galaxy. The spectacular 50 light-year wideimage was captured in the infrared spectrum by Hubble's Wide FieldCamera 3.
The image is comprisedof nine separate shots captured from Hubble's perspective, gazingtoward the galactic core from 27,000 light-years away in the OrionSpur of the Perseus spiral arm. The infrared wavelengthsof light captured by Hubble are invisible to the naked eye.
In order to allow us tocomprehend the multitude of stars located near the galactic center,astronomers assigned each of the different infrared wavelengthsvisible colors. Foreground stars are displayed with a blueish tinge,while the more red-colored stars are those residing in the distantnuclear cluster.
Whilst the scenecaptured by the orbital telescope is undoubtedly impressive, it is inreality only a small section of the vast star cluster. Astronomersestimate that, despite Hubble's infrared capabilities, which are ableto penetrate the vast clouds of gas and dust that would otherwiseveil our view of the nuclear cluster, there around 10 million starsthat are too faint to be captured in the image.
Astronomers have usedimages such as this latest release in order to track the movement ofthe stars over the course of a four-year period. It's hoped that theobservations could improve our understanding of the Milky Way'scentral cluster, providing insights as to its structure and weight.
Source: NASA