The Eponymous NGC 691
This image features the spiral galaxy NGC 691, imaged in fantastic detail by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). This galaxy is the eponymous member of the NGC 691 galaxy group, a group of gravitationally bound galaxies that lie about 120 million light-years from Earth.
Objects such as NGC 691 are observed by Hubble using a range of filters. Each filter only allows certain wavelengths of light to reach Hubble’s WFC3. The images collected using different filters are then coloured by specialised visual artists who can make informed choices about which colour best corresponds to which filter. By combining the coloured images from individual filters, a full-colour image of the astronomical object can be recreated. In this way, we can get remarkably good insight into the nature and appearance of these objects.
Links
Credit:ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess et al.
Acknowledgement: M. Zamani
About the Image
| Id: | potw2122a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 31 May 2021, 06:00 |
| Size: | 3089 x 3255 px |
About the Object
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 1 50 41.34 |
| Position (Dec): | 21° 45' 32.77" |
| Field of view: | 2.04 x 2.15 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 23.4° right of vertical |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Optical Long pass | 350 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Optical V | 555 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Optical I | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Infrared H | 1.6 μm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |