Silicates in Alien Asteroids

Spitzer_ssc2009-01a_1024

spitzer_ssc2009-01a January 5th, 2009

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Jura (UCLA)

This plot of data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescopes shows that asteroid dust around a dead "white dwarf" star contains silicates -- a common mineral on Earth. The data were taken primarily by Spitzer's infrared spectrograph, an instrument that breaks light apart into its basic constituents. The yellow dots show averaged data from the spectrograph, while the orange triangles show older data from Spitzer's infrared array camera. The white dwarf is called GD 40.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1976-ssc2009-01a-Silicates-in-Alien-Asteroids

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

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Image Details

Image Type
Chart
Object Name
GD 40
Subject - Milky Way
Star > Evolutionary Stage > White Dwarf

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Spitzer (IRS) Infrared -
Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared -
Spectrum plotted from 3 to 18 microns
Spitzer_ssc2009-01a_1280
×
ID
ssc2009-01a
Subject Category
B.3.1.7.  
Subject Name
GD 40
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Jura (UCLA)
Release Date
2009-01-05
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1976-ssc2009-01a-Silicates-in-Alien-Asteroids
Type
Chart
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Spitzer, Spitzer
Instrument
IRS, IRAC
Color Assignment
Band
Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
S
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
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
ssc2009-01a.tif
Metadata Date
2011-09-02
Metadata Version
1.1
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

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