NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2

The Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) is a camera installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. It was installed by servicing mission 1 (STS-61) in 1993, replacing the telescope's original Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WF/PC). It was used to image the Hubble Deep Field in 1995, and the Hourglass Nebula and Egg Nebula in 1996. ImageMetadata File history File links Jfader_hubble. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Jfader_hubble. ... The Hubble Deep Field The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) is the result of a series of observations by the Hubble Space Telescope of a small region of the northern celestial hemisphere. ... A camera is a device used to take pictures (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound, such as with video cameras. ... The Hubble Space Telescope is a telescope in orbit around the Earth. ... Crew Commander: Richard O. Covey (4) Pilot: Kenneth D. Bowersox (2) Payload Commander: F. Story Musgrave (5) Mission Specialist 1: Kathryn C. Thornton (3) Mission Specialist 2: Claude Nicollier (2) - ESA Switzerland Mission Specialist 3: Jeffrey A. Hoffman (4) Mission Specialist 5: Thomas D. Akers (3) Mission Parameters Mass: Orbiter... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WFPC) was a camera installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. ... The Hubble Deep Field The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) is the result of a series of observations by the Hubble Space Telescope of a small region of the northern celestial hemisphere. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... MyCn18, the Hourglass Nebula. ... CRL2688, the Egg Nebula. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

The charge-coupled devices (CCDs) in the WFPC2 detect electromagnetic radiation in a range from 120 nm to 1100 nm. This includes the 380 nm to 780 nm of the visible spectrum, all of the near ultraviolet (and a small part of the extreme ultraviolet band) and most of the near infrared band. The sensitivity distribution of these CCDs is roughly normal, with a peak around 700 nm and concomitantly very poor sensitivity at the extremes of the CCDs' operating range. WFPC2 features four identical CCD detectors, each 800x800 pixels. Three of these, arranged in an L-formation, comprise Hubble's Wide Field Camera (WFC). Adjacent to them is the Planetary Camera (PC), a fourth CCD with different (narrower-focused) optics. This affords a more detailed view over a smaller region of the visual field. WFC and PC images are typically combined, producing the WFPC2's characteristic stairstep image. When distributed as non-scientific JPEG files the PC portion of the image is shown with the same resolution as the WFC portions, but astronomers receive a raw scientific image package which presents the PC image in its native, higher detail. A specially developed CCD used for ultraviolet imaging in a wire bonded package. ... Klystrons give off both ionizing and electromagnetic radiation. ... A nanometre (American spelling: nanometer, symbol: nm) is 1. ... The optical spectrum (light or visible spectrum) is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. ... Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength shorter than that of the visible region, but longer than that of soft X-rays. ... Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... The normal distribution, also called Gaussian distribution, is an extremely important probability distribution in many fields. ... A pixel (a portmanteau of picture element) is one of the many tiny dots that make up the representation of a picture in a computers memory. ... A photo of a flower compressed with successively higher compression ratios from left to right. ...

To allow scientists to view specific parts of the electromagnetic spectrum the WFPC2 features a rotating wheel which moves different optical filters into the lightpath (between the WFPC2's aperture and the CCD detectors). The 48 filter elements include:

As predicted, over the course of its mission the WFPC2 has experienced degradation of the CCDs, resulting in defective ("hot") pixels. The telescope's operators perform monthly calibration tests to catalog these; with the WFPC's aperture closed a number of long exposures are taken, and pixels which differ significantly from near black are flagged. To avoid false positives caused by cosmic rays tripping a given pixel, the output of different calibration shots are compared. Pixels which are consistently "hot" are recorded, and astronomers who analyse raw WFPC2 images receive a list of these pixels. Typically astronomers adjust their photo-processing software to ignore these bad pixels. The word aperture means an opening, from the Latin apere, to open. ... Cosmic rays can loosely be defined as energetic particles originating outside of the Earth. ...

WFPC2 was built by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and latterly by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A replacement unit, Wide Field Camera 3, also built by Goddard and JPL, was planned for deployment on SM4 (service mission #4) in 2004. WFPC3 features two UV/visible detecting CCDs, each 2048x4096 pixels, and a separate IR CCD of 1024 x 1024, capable of receiving infrared radiation up to 1700 nm. With the cancellation of SM4, WFPC3's future is uncertain. NASA Logo Listen to this article Â· (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Aerial view of Goddard Space Flight Center. ... The Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Pasadena, California builds and operates unmanned spacecraft for NASA. JPL-run projects include the Galileo Jupiter mission and the Mars rovers, including the 1997 Mars Pathfinder and the twin 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers. ...

WFPC2 images

Eagle nebula Download high resolution version (935x920, 128 KB)Star forming pillars in the Eagle Nebula, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescopes WFPC2. ... Messier Object 16, the Eagle Nebula: this eerie, dark structure is a column of cool molecular hydrogen gas and dust that is an incubator for new stars. ...	Triangulum Download high resolution version (750x879, 84 KB)Emission nebula NGC 604 lies in a spiral arm of galaxy M33, 2. ... Triangulum is a small northern constellation whose three brightest stars, of third and fourth magnitude, form an elongated triangle. ...	Bok globules Download high resolution version (746x750, 90 KB)Bok globules in IC2944, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescopes WFPC2. ... An image of Bok globules in the H II region IC 2944, taken with the WFPC2 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope A Bok globule is a dark cloud of dense dust and gas in which star formation is taking place. ...	Part of Omega Centauri Download high resolution version (640x800, 162 KB)This image, a small region in the heart of the Omega Centauri globular cluster, was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. ... Categories: Stub \| Globular clusters \| NGC objects \| Milky Way Galaxy \| Dwarf galaxies \| Local Group \| Milky Way Subgroup ...
Hourglass Nebula The Hourglass Nebula This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... MyCn18, the Hourglass Nebula. ...	Egg Nebula The Egg Nebula This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... CRL2688, the Egg Nebula. ...

WFPC2 images GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

External links

WFPC2 images