A Mote in Hubble's Eye
Depicts: Proxima Centauri, IRAS 14260-6227, Alpha Centauri
Copyright: Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)
Rather than sit idle while this study went on, the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) was activated using the observing strategy set out in a program initiated by Dr. Ed Groth (Princeton University) designed to make use of this otherwise wasted time.
The image captured by this WFPC2 parallel observation is a typical Milky Way star field in the constellation Centaurus. Such images can be used to study the evolution of stars that make up our galaxy.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
