Image:Hubble Interacting Galaxy NGC 6240 (2008-04-24).jpg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikimedia Commons logo This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. The description on its description page there is shown below.
Commons is a freely licensed media file repository. You can help.
Description

NGC 6240 is a peculiar, butterfly- or lobster-shaped galaxy consisting of two smaller merging galaxies. It lies in the constellation of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, some 400 million light-years away. Observations with NASA s Chandra X-ray Observatory have disclosed two giant black holes, about 3,000 light-years apart, which will drift toward one another and eventually merge together into a larger black hole. The merging process, which began about 30 million years ago, triggered dramatic star formation and sparked numerous supernova explosions. The merger will be complete in some tens to hundreds of millions of years.

This image is part of a large collection of 59 images of merging galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and released on the occasion of its 18th anniversary on 24th April 2008.

Technical facts about this image
About the object
Object name: NGC 6240, VV 617
Object description: Interacting Galaxies
Position (J2000): 16 52 59.10
+02 24 02.6
Constellation: Ophiuchus
Distance: 350 million light-years (100 million parsecs)
About the data
Data description: The Hubble image was created using HST data from proposal 10592: A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Instrument: ACS/WFC
Exposure date(s): February 10, 2002
Exposure time: 33 minutes
Filters: F435W (B) and F814W (I)
Source

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/16/image/ae/ (direct link)
Date

2008-04-24
Author

NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Permission
(Reusing this image)
Public domain
 This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy).

Deutsch | English | Español | Français | Nederlands | Português | Русский | ‪中文(简体)‬ | ‪中文(繁體)‬ | +/-
Warning sign
 Warnings:
Other versions

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

Date/TimeDimensionsUserComment
current20:57, 24 April 20083,468×3,468 (11.13 MB)White Cat ({{Information |Description=NGC 6240 is a peculiar, butterfly- or lobster-shaped galaxy consisting of two smaller merging galaxies. It lies in the constellation of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, some 400 million light-years away. Observations with NASA s C)
The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed):