What it is: The spiral nebula UGC 5460

Where it is: 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major

When it was shared: Feb. 21, 2025

Why it’s so unique: This sensational brand-new picture of a spiral nebula– and an extremely brilliant star above it– was just recently recorded by the Hubble Space TelescopeThe image reveals the galaxy’s main bar of stars, together with its spiral arms and young, blue star clusters. The top-left of the image, on the other hand, is controlled by a star that’s simply 577 light-years away in the Galaxy

This galaxy has actually hosted 2 considerable supernova surges in the last 14 years. Such occasions are landmarks for astronomers and are the last, harmful phase for some enormous stars. A supernova surge can quickly have the power of as much as 100 billion stars and briefly outperform their host galaxies.

Supernovae play an essential function in spreading out heavy components around interstellar area, which in turn triggers the development of brand-new stars.

Related: The 10 greatest surges in history

These outstanding surges might be inescapable for some classes of stars, however they can play out in hugely various methods– which researchers presume holds true for the 2 current supernovas that appeared in this stunning spiral nebula.

In 2015, astronomers saw the star SN 2015 take off as a “core-collapse” supernova, when the enormous star consumed its nuclear fuel and collapsed under gravity, triggering its external layers to be ejected into UGC 5460. This surge led astronomers to take the brand-new picture of the galaxy, as they wished to learn how a supernova’s shock wave communicates with the interstellar gas surrounding it.

An earlier supernova surge in 2011, on the other hand, called SN 2011ht, at first seemed a core collapse. Astronomers think that it might be a so-called “luminous blue variable” — an unusual sort of enormous star that outbursts like a supernova however leaves the star undamaged. Hubble is now searching for the making it through star at the surge website.

This in-depth picture of UGC 5460 from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera integrates information from the ultraviolet, near-infrared and noticeable light parts of the spectrum.

The galaxy is discovered near the stars Merak and Dubhe on the exterior of the bowl, in the shape of the Big Dipper/Plough asterism in the night sky, though it is too dim to see with anything aside from big expert astronomy telescopes.

For more superb area images, take a look at our Area Photo of the Week archives

Jamie Carter is an independent reporter and routine Live Science factor based in Cardiff, U.K. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and lectures on astronomy and the natural world. Jamie frequently composes for Space.com, TechRadar.com, Forbes Science, BBC Wildlife publication and Scientific American, and lots of others. He modifies WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.