Distance Measurements to a Type-Ia Supernova-Bearing Galaxy
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 4639, a spiral galaxy located 78 million light-years away in the Virgo cluster of galaxies.
The blue dots in the galaxy's outlying regions indicate the presence of young stars. Among them are young, bright stars called Cepheids, which are used as reliable milepost markers to obtain accurate distances to nearby galaxies.
Credit:Credit: A. Sandage (Carnegie Observatories), A. Saha (Space Telescope Science Institute), G.A. Tammann, and L. Labhardt (Astronomical Institute, University of Basel), F.D. Macchetto and N. Panagia (Space Telescope Science Institute and European Space Agency) and NASA
About the Image
About the Object
| Name: | IRAS 12403+1331, NGC 4639, Virgo Cluster |
|---|---|
| Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral |
| Distance: | 75 million light years |
| Constellation: | Virgo |
| Category: | Galaxies |
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 12 42 53.49 |
|---|---|
| Position (Dec): | 13° 15' 36.19" |
| Field of view: | 2.45 x 2.49 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 66.1° right of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Optical V | 555 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
| Infrared I | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |