Shimmering in Infrared Light
spitzer_ssc2005-08b March 1st, 2005
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)
This artist's conception shows what a dusty and bright galaxy located billions of light-years away might look like close up if viewed in infrared light. Galaxies like these are so far away and so drenched in dust, they appear invisible to optical telescopes.
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope uncovered a hidden population of dusty galaxies like these using its heat-seeking infrared eyes. The galaxies are among the brightest in the universe and are located 11 billion light-years away back to a time when the universe was 3 billion years old. The universe is currently believed to be 13.5 billion years old.
Astronomers are not sure what is lighting up these cosmic behemoths, but they speculate that quasarsthe most luminous objects in the universemay be lurking inside.
Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope
Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1407-ssc2005-08b-Shimmering-in-Infrared-Light
Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA
Image Use Policy: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy
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Image Details
- ID
- ssc2005-08b
- Subject Category
- D.5.2.1.
- Subject Name
- Credits
- NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)
- Release Date
- 2005-03-01
- Lightyears
- Redshift
- Reference Url
- http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1407-ssc2005-08b-Shimmering-in-Infrared-Light
- Type
- Artwork
- Image Quality
- Good
- Distance Notes
- Facility
- Instrument
- Color Assignment
- Band
- Bandpass
- Central Wavelength
- Start Time
- Integration Time
- Dataset ID
- Notes
- Coordinate Frame
- Equinox
- Reference Value
- Reference Dimension
- Reference Pixel
- Scale
- Rotation
- Coordinate System Projection:
- Quality
- FITS Header
- Notes
- Creator (Curator)
- Spitzer Space Telescope
- URL
- http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
- Name
- Spitzer Space Telescope
- Telephone
- Address
- 1200 E. California Blvd.
- City
- Pasadena
- State/Province
- CA
- Postal Code
- 91125
- Country
- USA
- Rights
- http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy
- Publisher
- Spitzer Science Center
- Publisher ID
- spitzer
- Resource ID
- ssc2005-08b.tif
- Resource URL
- http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/uploaded_files/images/0001/1782/ssc2005-08b.tif
- Related Resources
- Metadata Date
- 2012-03-23
- Metadata Version
- 1.1
Detailed color mapping information coming soon...
