Hubble probes ‘ghost’ galaxy
Astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to unmask the dim, star-starved dwarf galaxy Leo IV. This Hubble image demonstrates why astronomers had a tough time spotting this small-fry galaxy: it is practically invisible. The image shows how the handful of stars from the sparse galaxy are virtually indistinguishable from the background.
Residing 500 000 light-years from Earth, Leo IV is one of more than a dozen ultra-faint dwarf galaxies found lurking around our Milky Way galaxy. These galaxies are dominated by dark matter, an invisible substance that makes up the bulk of the Universe’s mass.
Credit:NASA, ESA, and T. Brown (STScI)
About the Image
Id: | heic1211a |
Type: | Observation |
Release date: | 10 July 2012, 19:00 |
Related releases: | heic1211 |
Size: | 6515 x 6615 px |
About the Object
Name: | Leo IV dwarf galaxy |
Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Size : Dwarf |
Distance: | 500000 light years |
Constellation: | Leo |
Category: | Galaxies |
Image Formats
Large JPEG
23.4 MB
Publication TIFF 4K
33.4 MB
Publication JPEG
10.4 MB
Screensize JPEG
233.9 KB
Wallpapers
1024x768
238.4 KB
1280x1024
399.2 KB
1600x1200
587.4 KB
1920x1200
740.4 KB
2048x1536
1023.9 KB
Coordinates
Position (RA): | 11 32 57.31 |
Position (Dec): | 0° 30' 58.21" |
Field of view: | 3.26 x 3.31 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 24.0° right of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical V | 606 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
ACS |
Optical i | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
ACS |