File:Three Steps to the Hubble Constant (39530073405).png
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DescriptionThree Steps to the Hubble Constant (39530073405).png |
This Hubble Space Telescope image showcases one of the 19 galaxies analyzed in a project to improve the precision of the universe's expansion rate, a value known as the Hubble constant. The color-composite image shows NGC 3972, located 65 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy contains pulsating stars called Cepheid variables. These stars blink at a rate matched closely by their intrinsic brightness, making them ideal cosmic lighthouses for measuring accurate distances to relatively nearby galaxies. Another reliable milepost marker is a special class of exploding star called a Type Ia supernova. All of these supernovae peak at the same brightness and are brilliant enough to be seen over relatively longer distances. NGC 3972 also hosted a Type Ia supernova. Astronomers search for Cepheid variables in nearby galaxies containing a Type Ia supernova so they can compare the true brightness of both types of stars. That brightness information is used to calibrate the luminosity of Type Ia supernovae in far-flung galaxies so that astronomers can calculate the galaxies' distances from Earth. Once astronomers know accurate distances to galaxies near and far, they can determine and refine the universe's expansion rate. The observations for NGC 3972 were taken in 2015 using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. |
Date | |
Source | Three Steps to the Hubble Constant |
Author | NASA Hubble Space Telescope |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by NASA Hubble at https://flickr.com/photos/144614754@N02/39530073405 (archive). It was reviewed on 13 July 2018 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. |
13 July 2018
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This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.) | ||
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current | 15:31, 13 July 2018 | 1,000 × 750 (1.1 MB) | Hiàn (alt) (talk | contribs) | Transferred from Flickr via #flickr2commons |
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This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.
Source | STScI |
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Headline | Hubble Helps Astronomers Measure Accurate Distances to Galaxies |
Credit/Provider | NASA, ESA, A. Riess (STScI/JHU) |
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Image title |
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Author | Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach |
Usage terms | |
Date and time of data generation | 00:00, 22 February 2018 |
Date and time of digitizing | 05:49, 31 January 2018 |
Date metadata was last modified | 07:00, 15 February 2018 |
Unique ID of original document | xmp.did:a06e02b9-ae89-493b-abb3-c7081d3df47f |
Keywords | NGC 3972 |
Contact information | outreach@stsci.edu
3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA |
Horizontal resolution | 28.34 dpc |
Vertical resolution | 28.34 dpc |
File change date and time | 11:39, 15 February 2018 |