The Significance of Nomenclature: Hubble Space Telescope Photographs Galaxy SDSS J103512.07+461412.2

The photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope features galaxy SDSS J103512.07+461412.2, situated in the Ursa Major constellation. The name of this galaxy originates from its inclusion in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), an extensive catalog that has indexed several hundred million celestial bodies since its establishment in the year 2000. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Tully.

The most recent image from Hubble showcases the galaxy SDSS J103512.07+461412.2, which is a part of the extensive Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Unlike more rudimentary naming conventions from less expansive catalogs, the nomenclature used by SDSS integrates coordinates, thereby offering both an identifier and an exact location for the celestial entity.

Featured as the Hubble Image of the Week, the galaxy SDSS J103512.07+461412.2 is prominently displayed at the center of the frame, characterized by a loose distribution of stars and dust centered around a more luminous, compact core. This galaxy is located at a distance of 23 million light-years from Earth in the Ursa Major constellation. The seemingly verbose name is a consequence of its observation and subsequent cataloging within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an ambitious project initiated in 2000 with the objective of mapping and indexing an enormous quantity of celestial objects.

A Concise Overview of the Evolution of Astronomical Catalogs

In the nascent stages of astronomical catalogs, meticulous efforts were undertaken by astronomers to document celestial objects individually. For instance, the Messier catalog, which contains only 110 objects, was compiled by astronomer Charles Messier as these objects interfered with his search for comets. Due to the limited scope of the Messier catalog, objects within it are simply referred to by numerical identifiers ranging from M1 to M110. In comparison, large-scale surveys like SDSS necessitate longer, more informative naming protocols due to the extensive volume of data that requires automated processing.

Understanding the Naming Protocol of SDSS

In alignment with this need, every entity listed in the SDSS catalog carries a label that begins with ‘SDSS J’, succeeded by its right ascension (RA) and declination (Dec) coordinates. These coordinates specify an object’s location in the night sky, with RA being the celestial equivalent of Earth’s longitude and Dec serving a role similar to latitude.

To elaborate, RA gauges the longitudinal distance of a celestial object from the point where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic, the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The night sky is partitioned into 24 sections, termed as ‘hours,’ which are measured eastward from this intersection point (designated as zero hour). Accordingly, RA is denoted in ‘hours,’ ‘minutes,’ and ‘seconds.’ Dec, on the other hand, is the angular distance of the object north or south from the celestial equator, measured in degrees.

Therefore, the label SDSS J103512.07+461412.2 essentially provides that this particular galaxy is situated 10 hours, 35 minutes, and 12 seconds to the east of the zero-hour point along the celestial equator, and slightly more than 46 degrees north of the celestial equator. Hence, this elaborate name serves dual functions: as an identifier and as a precise locator of the galaxy in the cosmos.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Hubble Space Telescope

More about Hubble Space Telescope

• Hubble Space Telescope Official Site
• Sloan Digital Sky Survey Overview
• Understanding Astronomical Catalogs
• A Guide to Right Ascension and Declination
• Ursa Major Constellation Facts
• Evolution of Astronomical Naming Conventions
• Celestial Coordinate Systems Explained