Galaxy Cluster MACS J0717 torrent

Galaxy Cluster MACS J0717

April 16, 2009: The most crowded collision of galaxy clusters has been identified by combining information from three different telescopes. This result gives scientists a chance to learn what happens when some of the largest objects in the universe go at each other in a cosmic free-for-all. Using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, astronomers were able to determine the three-dimensional geometry and motion in the system MACS J0717.5+3745 (or MACS J0717, for short), located about 5.4 billion light-years from Earth.

About the Object
Object Name: MACS J0717.5+3745
Object Description: Cluster of Galaxies
Position (J2000): R.A. 07h 17m 33s.80
Dec. +37° 45' 20".02

Constellation: Auriga
Distance: 5.4 billion light-years or 1.7 billion parsecs
Dimensions: The image is roughly 4.5 arcminutes (7.7 million ________________________light-years or 2.4 megaparsecs) wide.

About the Chandra Data
Data Description: Chandra data used were from proposal 4200.
Instrument: ACIS
Exposure Date(s): January 10, 2003
Energies: 5 - 25 T(keV)

About the Hubble Data
Data Description: The Hubble images were created from HST data from proposal ________________________10420: PI: Dr. H. Ebeling (University of Hawaii), I. Smail ________________________(University of Durham, UK), J.-P. Kneib (Laboratoire ________________________d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France), G. Smith ________________________(University of Birmingham, UK), and D. Donovan and E. ________________________Barrett (University of Hawaii).

Instrument: ACS/WFC
Exposure Date(s): January 24, 2005 - February 9, 2005
Filters: F606W (V) and F814W (I)

About the Release
Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC, C. Ma, H. Ebeling,
and E. Barrett (University of Hawaii/IfA), et al.,and STScI

Release Date: April 16, 2009

Color: The image is a composite of separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope and the ACIS instrument onboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Two filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. A continuous energy band was used to sample the X-ray data. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are:

Hubble: F606W (V) cyan
Hubble: F814W (I) yellow

Chandra: 5 - 25 T(keV) temperature map blue through violet