Advanced Camera for Surveys Created 2026-10-25 Updated 2026-11-05
The Advanced Camera for Surveys is an imaging instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope, designed with separate wide-field, high-resolution and ultraviolet channels. Filters select spectral bands; dispersing elements also provide low-resolution spectroscopy. The different channels have different detectors and optical paths, so the instrument name alone does not specify the relevant wavelength coverage.[ref]
ACS Instrument Handbook by Space Telescope Science Institute. Chapter 1: independent channels, filters, grism and imaging capabilities
For an exoplanet transit, a sequence of dispersed images can be divided into spectral channels, each yielding its own light curve. Comparing fitted exoplanet transit depths constructs an exoplanet transmission spectrum. Detector response and pointing variations must be calibrated along with the planetary signal. Historical observations should be interpreted using the channel and observing mode actually employed.
Antennae Galaxies 2026-10-25
An interacting pair of spiral galaxies undergoing a galaxy merger. Their long tidal tails contain stars displaced by the encounter. They are also a nearby example of a starburst galaxy, with vigorous star formation accompanying the interaction.[ref]
Caldwell 60 and 61 by NASA. Description of the interacting pair, extended tails and young star clusters
The Hubble Space Telescope image below combines observations from its Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. Bright young stars, emitting regions of the interstellar medium and obscuring interstellar dust reveal different aspects of the encounter. The close view emphasizes the interacting central regions; wider views show the long outer tidal tails.[ref]
Antennae Galaxies reloaded by ESA and NASA. Image potw1345a, observing instruments, image description and field of view
