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Photo 23b/02 shows an infrared NACO image of a ~ 2 x 2 arcsec2 area, centred on the position of the compact radio source "SgrA*" at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy; it is marked by a small cross. The image was obtained in the Ks-band at wavelength 2.1 µm in May 2002 and the angular resolution (image sharpness) is about 0.060 arcsec. At about the same time, the star designated "S2" came within 0.015 arcsec of the radio source. At the distance of the Milky Way Center, 1 arcsec on the sky corresponds to 46 light-days [5]; the bar is 20 light-days long (0.44 arcsec). In PR Photo 23c/02, "SgrA*" and S2 are identified in the left panel. The right panel displays the orbit of S2 as observed between 1992 and 2002, relative to SgrA* (marked with a circle). The positions of S2 at the different epochs are indicated by crosses with the dates (expressed in fractions of the year) shown at each point. The size of the crosses indicates the measurement errors. The solid curve is the best-fitting elliptical orbit - one of the foci is at the position of SgrA*. The 2002 data points come from NACO observations done during the early commissioning, fine adjustment, and Science Verification phases for this instrument; these data were promptly made public through the ESO Archive, cf. the NACO data webpage.

4 posted on 10/18/2002 5:13:05 AM PDT by petuniasevan
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To: petuniasevan
Superb information - Thanks for providing this!
10 posted on 10/18/2002 8:52:03 PM PDT by Ken522
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