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(Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Windhorst, W. Keel)
What it is: Spiral nebula UGC 10043
Where it is: 150 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens
When it was shared: December 12, 2024
Why it’s so unique: This picture of a spiral nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope is a picture more than twenty years in the making.
Like many full-color pictures of area items, it’s a composite of images taken in various wavelengths of light. What sets this image apart, nevertheless, is that the information utilized to develop it was gathered throughout observation sessions in 2000 and 2023– 23 years apart. That’s one benefit of having an area telescope in orbit for so long: Hubble was introduced from the area shuttle bus Discovery on April 24, 1990, and its long service has actually allowed it to record a substantial quantity of information about every corner of the universes.
Besides the extended techniques utilized to develop it, it’s likewise an uncommon image on its face. Spiral nebula– which represent about 60% of all galaxies in deep space, according to the European Space Agency — are, by opportunity, normally seen face-on when seen from the planetary system. That’s why spiral nebula are usually connected with brilliant spiral arms, which can just be seen from a face-on vantage. UGC 10043 is seen edge-on, with its rings apparently flattened into a line. This distinct angle provides astronomers the possibility to see how spiral nebula are structured in 3D.
Related: Area picture of the week: Hubble commemorates 10 years of searching giants
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This picture of UGC 10043 exposes apparent lanes of dust, which would likely appear like spiral arms if the galaxy was seen face-on. Here, they appear to obstruct the cumulative radiance of the stars that comprise the galaxy itself. They likewise include dark clouds, which are star-forming areas.
At the center of the image is a bulge of light– the galaxy’s brilliant core. All galaxies have one, however UGC 10043’s is abnormally big. Astronomers believe it might be since UGC 10043 has actually hit a dwarf galaxy close by, leaving it with additional dust and gas that has actually sustained it to produce brand-new stars. An accident might likewise discuss why the galaxy’s disk is somewhat distorted, flexing up at one end and down at the other.
For more superb area images, have 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 routinely composes for Space.com, TechRadar.com, Forbes Science, BBC Wildlife publication and Scientific American, and numerous others. He modifies WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.
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