First VLT colour photo of a strange galaxy

This is a colour photo from the VLT that shows NGC 4650A, a member of the so-called Centaurus chain of galaxies in the southern constellation of that name. NGC 4650A is a complex system that is located at a distance of about 50 Megaparsec (165 million light-years). As it is clear from this high-resolution picture, there are two main components, a lenticular-shaped galaxy (of type S0), surrounded by a knotty extended ring-like distribution of stars, dust and gas, nearly perpendicular to each other.

This is a combination of three 10-min B (blue) exposures (seeing 0.68 - 0.82 arcsec), two 10-min V (green-yellow) exposures (0.55 and 0.77 arcsec), and one 4-min and one 10-min R (red) exposures (0.55 and 0.52 arcsec) with the VLT Test Camera. Individual frames were flat-fielded and cleaned for cosmics, combined and deconvolved with the Richardson-Lucy algorithm to produce a final FWHM = 0.53 arcsec before colour combination. The field measures 1.5 x 1.5 arcmin. North is to the upper left; East is to the lower left.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso9825a
Type:Observation
Release date:23 June 1998
Related releases:eso9825
Size:2152 x 2456 px

About the Object

Name:NGC 4650A
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Ring
Distance:150 million light years
Constellation:Centaurus
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

Large JPEG
287.8 KB
Screensize JPEG
71.9 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
69.2 KB
1280x1024
99.6 KB
1600x1200
134.9 KB
1920x1200
161.2 KB
2048x1536
200.8 KB

Coordinates

Position (RA):12 44 48.95
Position (Dec):-40° 42' 49.41"
Field of view:1.23 x 1.41 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 45.8° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
B
Very Large Telescope
Optical
V
Very Large Telescope
Optical
R
Very Large Telescope