The Hubble Deep Field in Infrared
Explanation:
Galaxies this faint have never been seen before.
In 1996 the
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
created one of the most famous pictures of
modern astronomy, the
Hubble Deep Field (HDF).
Now HST has returned to a
piece of the HDF for a
long exposure by its new
NICMOS camera,
sensitive to
infrared light. The resulting image,
shown above in representative color,
shows known galaxies in a new light,
and previously unknown galaxies probably farther
than anything ever seen before. Galaxies as dim as
magnitude 30 are visible. Astronomers are learning from the
HDF
how different the young universe was from the
familiar universe of today.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
