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| WFC3/UVIS | |
|---|---|
| Name | WFC3/UVIS |
| Mission | Hubble Space Telescope |
| Operator | NASA; ESA |
| Launch date | 1990 (HST) / 2009 (WFC3 installation) |
| Instrument type | Ultraviolet–visible camera |
| Detector | CCD (two 4096×2051 chips) |
| Wavelength | ~200–1000 nm |
| Field of view | ~162×162 arcsec |
| Pixel scale | ~0.04 arcsec/pixel |
WFC3/UVIS The Ultraviolet and Visible channel of the Wide Field Camera 3 installed on the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009 is a high-resolution imaging instrument that has advanced studies of Andromeda Galaxy, Orion Nebula, NGC 3370, and numerous Type Ia supernova hosts. Operated by NASA and the European Space Agency, the channel combines charge-coupled devices with a broad filter complement to enable programs from Hubble Deep Field-like surveys to targeted studies of Jupiter, Saturn, and Io.
WFC3/UVIS was delivered to Low Earth Orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-125 as part of a servicing mission that also upgraded instruments used by teams studying Cepheid variables, exoplanet transits, and globular clusters such as those in M31. It complements the WFC3/IR channel to provide contiguous coverage across bandpasses exploited in programs led by principal investigators from institutions such as the Space Telescope Science Institute, University of California, Berkeley, and European Southern Observatory.
The UVIS channel employs two butted back-illuminated CCDs manufactured to specifications influenced by prior detectors on Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. Key components include the vacuum-sealed focal plane assembly, charge transfer electronics derived from designs used by Chandra X-ray Observatory instrument teams, and a filter/grism wheel mechanism similar in heritage to systems on Keck Observatory instruments. Thermal control interfaces permit operation compatible with Hubble Space Telescope pointing systems and guidance from Fine Guidance Sensors.
On-orbit performance metrics—quantum efficiency, full well depth, read noise, and charge transfer efficiency—were characterized after installation using calibration programs executed by the Space Telescope Science Institute. Photometric calibration tied to standards from Landolt fields and spectrophotometric stars such as those in the CALSPEC database enables cross-comparison with data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and Gaia. Flat-fielding, bias subtraction, and dark current characterization are updated periodically to track radiation damage and effects documented after servicing missions and referenced against campaign results from STScI instrument teams.
The UVIS filter complement spans narrow, medium, and broad bandpasses roughly covering 200–1000 nm, including ultraviolet filters that enable contrast for studies of Lyman-alpha in low-redshift galaxies and broadbands used in color–magnitude analyses of open cluster populations. The use of a UV grism permits low-resolution slitless spectroscopy adopted in programs targeting emission-line diagnostics in M82, NGC 5253, and star-forming regions in Large Magellanic Cloud. Filter throughput curves are maintained in calibration files used by observers from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and other institutions.
WFC3/UVIS supports direct imaging, slitless spectroscopy with grisms, and coronagraphic-style mask usages for bright-object suppression in exoplanet host star studies such as those involving HD 209458 and 51 Pegasi. Data products provided by the Hubble Space Telescope archive include calibrated FITS files with associated drizzle-processed mosaics used in deep-field projects like CANDELS and follow-up time-series photometry for transit observations pursued by groups at MIT and Caltech. Observers can request exposures with subarray readouts to mitigate saturation for targets like Mars and Venus and to increase cadence for variability studies of RR Lyrae stars.
WFC3/UVIS imaging contributed to improved distance scale measurements by resolving Cepheid variables in host galaxies of Type Ia supernovae, underpinning refinements to estimates related to the Hubble Constant that intersect debates involving teams from Carnegie Observatories and Perlmutter's collaborations. UVIS observations revealed star-formation clumps in high-redshift analogs, informed studies of feedback in starburst galaxies such as M82, and helped map resolved stellar populations in Local Group members including M33 and IC 1613. The channel also enabled ultraviolet morphological studies of active nuclei in galaxies like NGC 4151 and supported exoplanet atmosphere characterization initiatives correlated with results from Spitzer Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope planning teams.
UV sensitivity is limited by degradation from cumulative radiation exposure and time-variable contamination, necessitating ongoing anneal cycles and calibration updates coordinated by STScI and instrument scientists previously associated with Ball Aerospace and manufacturer teams. Saturation of bright sources and charge transfer inefficiency in older pixels impose constraints that observers mitigate via short exposures, subarrays, or post-processing methods developed with contributions from STScI, NOAO, and university consortia. Scheduling considerations tied to HST orbital visibility, South Atlantic Anomaly passages, and simultaneous use of other instruments require planning through the Hubble Space Telescope proposal and phase II tools.
Category:Space telescopes Category:Scientific instruments