Image of a MACHO

This image is based on three exposures from the WFPC2 camera at the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained in the V-, R- and I-bands (shown as blue, green and red, respectively). It shows the first image of a Dark Matter object — a MACHO (a massive compact object). It is the red object that is indicated with an arrow and very near to the upper left (at 2 o''clock) of a blue background star. This MACHO is a nearby red dwarf star that gravitationally focused light from the blue background star in another galaxy in a so-called microlensing event. Since the event six years ago, the MACHO has moved 0.134 arcseconds on the sky and can now be clearly separated in the Hubble image.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso0140a
Type:Observation
Release date:5 December 2001
Related releases:eso0140
Size:793 x 637 px

About the Object

Name:MACHO
Type:Milky Way : Cosmology : Phenomenon : Dark Matter
Milky Way : Cosmology : Phenomenon : Lensing
Category:Cosmology

Image Formats

Large JPEG
37.7 KB
Screensize JPEG
43.4 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
42.0 KB
1280x1024
58.3 KB
1600x1200
70.1 KB
1920x1200
79.1 KB
2048x1536
96.5 KB

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
B
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2
Optical
V
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2
Infrared
I
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2