The Sunburst Arc
This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows a massive galaxy cluster, about 4.6 billion light years away. Along its borders four bright arcs are visible; these are copies of the same distant galaxy, nicknamed the Sunburst Arc.
The Sunburst Arc galaxy is almost 11 billion light-years away and the light from it is being lensed into multiple images by gravitational lensing. The Sunburst Arc is among the brightest lensed galaxies known and its image is visible at least 12 times within the four arcs.
Three arcs are visible in the top right of the image, the fourth arc in the lower left. The last one is partially obscured by a bright foreground star, which is located in the Milky Way.
Credit:ESA/Hubble, NASA, Rivera-Thorsen et al.
About the Image
| Id: | heic1920a |
|---|---|
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 7 November 2019, 20:00 |
| Related releases: | heic1920 |
| Size: | 5290 x 4722 px |
About the Object
| Name: | PSZ1 G311.65-18.48 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Early Universe : Cosmology : Phenomenon : Lensing |
| Distance: | 4 billion light years |
| Constellation: | Apus |
| Category: | Galaxies |
Image Formats
Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 15 50 7.00 |
|---|---|
| Position (Dec): | -78° 11' 31.17" |
| Field of view: | 2.64 x 2.36 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 5.0° left of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Ultraviolet UV | 275 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Optical V | 606 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Optical I | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
ACS |
| Infrared H | 1.6 μm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |