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National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Subaru's 3-D View of Stephan's Quintet

| Science

Composite tricolor images of Stephan's Quintet using Hα filters with a recession velocity of 0 (left image) and a recession velocity of 4,200 miles per second (right image).
Composite tricolor images of Stephan's Quintet using Hα filters with a recession velocity of 0 (left image) and a recession velocity of 4,200 miles per second (right image).

Subaru Telescope has added another dimension of information about one of the most studied of all compact galaxy groups―Stephan's Quintet. Located within the borders of the constellation Pegasus, Stephan's Quintet consists of a visual grouping of five galaxies, four of which form an actual compact group of galaxies; one additional galaxy appears in images of the group but is much closer than the others. Refinements in observations of the quintet are revealing more about its members. A comparison of images compiled by using a suite of specialized filters with Subaru's Prime Focus Camera have shown different types of star-formation activity between the closer galaxy NGC7320 and the more distant galaxies in Stephan's Quintet. They show the quintet in 3-D.

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