November 25, 2013
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU)
During an intensive commissioning run, Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), a key instrument of the SuMIRe*1 Project, has successfully imaged the Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) as it journeys toward the Sun. Especially striking in the HSC image are the comet's long tails, which span a distance more than twice the diameter of the full moon.
Figure 1: Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) imaged by HSC, taken during the early morning of November 5, 2013 in Hawaii in i band (760 nm wavelength). The top of the image is to the north, and the left part is to the east. The diameter of the frame is 1.5 degrees. (Credit: HSC Project/NAOJ).
Read more in the Subaru Telescope's website
*1: SuMIRe (Subaru Measurement of Images and Redshifts) is a research project to reveal the origin and fate of the Universe by elucidating the nature of dark matter and dark energy via precision imaging using Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) and precision wide field spectroscopy using Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) on Subaru Telescope. SuMIRe web page
Links
- SuMIRe (Subaru Measurement of Images and Redshifts) web page
- Subaru Telescope's M31 Image Processed by the HSC Data Analysis Software (August 6, 2013)
- A New View on the Origin of Dark Matter and Dark Energy - Image of M31 Heralds the Dawn of HSC - (July 31, 2013)
- Hyper Suprime-Cam Ushers in a New Era of Observational Astronomy (September 13, 2012)