Himiko (Hubble close-up view)

This image shows a giant primordial bubble of gas dubbed "Himiko" (after the queen of ancient Japan), as viewed by Hubble.

Astronomers using the combined power of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope have discovered that a trio of primitive galaxies are actually nestled inside this enormous gas blob. The rare triple system existed when the Universe was only 800 million years old. The trio may eventually merge into a single massive galaxy, researchers predict.

Links:

Credit:

NASA, ESA, ESO, NRAO, NAOJ, JAO, M. Ouchi (University of Tokyo), R. Ellis (California Institute of Technology), Y. Ono (University of Tokyo), K. Nakanishi (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) and Joint ALMA Observatory), K. Kohno and R. Momose (University of Tokyo), Y. Kurono (Joint ALMA Observatory), M. Ashby (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), K. Shimasaku (University of Tokyo), S. Willner and G. Fazio (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), Y. Tamura (University of Tokyo), and D. Iono (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)

About the Image

NASA press release
Id:opo1353c
Type:Observation
Release date:22 November 2013, 13:37
Size:960 x 960 px

About the Object

Name:Himiko
Type:Early Universe : Galaxy
Early Universe : Cosmology
Distance:13 billion light years
Constellation:Cetus
Category:Cosmology
Galaxies

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
109.2 KB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
90.5 KB

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Wallpapers

r.title1024x768
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r.title1280x1024
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r.title1600x1200
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r.title1920x1200
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r.title2048x1536
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Coordinates

Position (RA):2 17 57.57
Position (Dec):-5° 8' 44.78"
Field of view:0.08 x 0.08 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.0° left of vertical


Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Infrared
Y
980 nm Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3
Infrared
J
1.25 μm Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3
Infrared
H
1.6 μm Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3
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