SDSS J103512.07 +461412.2 is located 23 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. The apparently rambling name is due to the fact that this galaxy was observed as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), a massive survey that began in 2000 with the aim of observing and cataloging large numbers of huge items. In contrast, when a survey as enormous in scope as the SDSS is involved, and when big volumes of data require to be processed in an automatic way, the names designated to things require to be both longer, and more helpful.
Translating the SDSS Naming Convention
To that end, every SDSS object has a designation that follows the format of: SDSS J, followed by the right ascension (RA), and then the declination (Dec). RA and Dec define the position of a huge things in the night sky. RA is comparable to longitude here on Earth, whilst the Dec represents latitude.
To be more specific, RA measures the longitudinal distance of a huge item from the point where the celestial equator (the mid-point in between the north and south celestial poles) intersects with the ecliptic (the aircraft in which Earth orbits around the Sun).
The whole night sky is then sculpted into 24 slices, understood as hours, determined eastwards from that beginning point (which is designated as absolutely no hour). This means that the RA can be expressed in hours, minutes and seconds. Dec is the angle north or south of the celestial equator, and is expressed in degrees.
Therefore, the SDSS J103512.07 +461412.2 name just informs us that the galaxy can be found 10 hours, 35 minutes, and 12 seconds east of the zero-hour point on the celestial equator, and just over 46 degrees to the north of the celestial equator. That lengthy name is truly an identifier and a comprehensive area in one!
To that end, every SDSS things has a designation that follows the format of: SDSS J, followed by the best ascension (RA), and then the declination (Dec).
This image, recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope, highlights galaxy SDSS J103512.07 +461412.2, located in the Ursa Major constellation. This galaxys name comes from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), which has cataloged numerous millions of huge entities because its beginning in 2000. Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, R. Tully
Hubbles newest image functions galaxy SDSS J103512.07 +461412.2 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Unlike simpler identifying systems from smaller catalogs, SDSS uses coordinates, providing both identification and exact location in one name.
SDSS J103512.07 +461412.2 is situated 23 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. The apparently rambling name is because this galaxy was observed as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), an enormous study that began in 2000 with the aim of observing and cataloging large numbers of huge items.
A Brief History of Astronomical Catalogs
In the early days of astronomy brochures, astronomers fastidiously taped specific objects one by one. As an example, the Messier brochure consists of just 110 items, determined by the astronomer Charles Messier because they were all obstructing of his comet-hunting efforts. As the Messier brochure is so limited, it is sufficient to merely describe those things as M1 to M110. In contrast, when a study as enormous in scope as the SDSS is included, and when huge volumes of data require to be processed in an automated manner, the names assigned to things require to be both longer, and more informative.
