Distant Galaxy Cluster
Sig06 015d

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Brodwin (JPL)

Observation • June 5th, 2006 • sig06-015d

sig06-015d

This distant galaxy cluster was discovered using data from the space-based Spitzer Space Telescope and the ground-based Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Ariz. The cluster appears as a concentration of red dots near the center of the image. This image reveals the galaxies as they were over 8 billion years ago, since that's how long their light took to reach Earth and Spitzer's infrared eyes.

The picture is a composite, combining ground-based optical images captured by the Mosaic-I camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak, with infrared pictures taken by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Blue and green represent visible light at wavelengths of 0.4 microns and 0.8 microns, respectively, while red indicates infrared light at 4.5 microns.

Kitt Peak National Observatory is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tuscon, Ariz.

About the Object

Name
ISCS J1429.3+3437
Type
Galaxy > Grouping > Cluster
Distance
8,700,000,000 Light Years
Redshift
1.26

Color Mapping

Band Wavelength Telescope
Optical 400 nm KPNO 4m Mosaic-1
Infrared 800 nm KPNO 4m Mosaic-1
Infrared 4.5 µm Spitzer IRAC

Astrometrics

Position (J2000)
RA =14h 29m 18.5s
Dec = 34° 37' 25.8"
Field of View
0.0 x 0.0 arcminutes
Orientation
North is up