Image ssc2006-22a

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Image Gallery > Astronomical Images > Galaxies and the Universe > ssc2006-22a

NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Kashlinsky (GSFC)

The Universe's First Fireworks

The right panel is an image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of stars and galaxies in the Ursa Major constellation. This infrared image covers a region of space so large that light would take up to 100 million years to travel across it. The left panel is the same image after stars, galaxies and other sources were masked out. The remaining background light is from a period of time when the universe was less than one billion years old, and most likely originated from the universe's very first groups of objects -- either huge stars or voracious black holes. Darker shades in the image on the left correspond to dimmer parts of the background glow, while yellow and white show the brightest light.

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Screen-Resolution (450x360) : JPEG (96 KB)
Medium-Resolution (900x720) : JPEG (264 KB)
High-Resolution (3000x2400) : JPEG (1.8 MB) | Mac TIFF (6.7 MB) | PC TIFF (6.7 MB)

About the Object (1)
Object name: Hubble Deep Field, Cosmic Infrared Background
Object type: Galaxy Field
Position (J2000): RA: 12h 36m 49.50s Dec: 62° 12' 58.00"
Constellation: Ursa Major

About the Data

Spitzer Data

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Kashlinsky (GSFC)
Instrument: IRAC
Wavelength: 3.6, 4.5, and 5.8 microns
Exposure Date: May 19, 2004 - May 26 2004
Exposure Time: 24 hours per pixel
Image scale: 972 by 610 pixels with 0.6 arcsec pixels
Orientation: N is 139.9 degrees CW from up
Release Date: 2006/12/18

Observers

A. Kashlinsky (Goddard Space Flight Center)
R. G. Arendt (Goddard Space Flight Center)
J. Mather (Goddard Space Flight Center)
S. H. Moseley (Goddard Space Flight Center)

Additional Info

Press Release: NASA Telescope Picks Up Glow of Universe's First Objects

INDIVIDUAL IMAGES

Background radiation, with foreground objects removed.
Screen-Resolution (450x282): JPEG
High-Resolution (2430x1525): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Kashlinsky (GSFC)

Foreground objects.
Screen-Resolution (450x282): JPEP
High-Resolution (2430x1525): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Kashlinsky (GSFC)

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