An Unstable Galaxy, Located 110 Million Light-Years from Earth, Captured by Hubble Telescope.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently shared new images from the Hubble Telescope, showcasing a galaxy with an incomplete spiral arm, harboring stars that are in the process of formation.
The NGC 5486 galaxy captured by the Hubble Telescope. (Photo: NASA).
Named NGC 5486, this galaxy is situated approximately 110 million light-years away from Earth, located in the constellation Ursa Major.
According to Space, the galaxy is classified as an irregular galaxy due to its unstable shape and structure, which can be distorted by the gravitational pull of neighboring galaxies.
The Hubble Telescope has captured a new perspective of NGC 5486 featuring its chaotic and unclear spiral arms surrounding a bright core. Several faint and distant galaxies are also visible in the image.
The thin disk of the galaxy is prominent with bright pink streaks, indicating regions of new star formation. Surrounding them is a diffuse light emanating from the galaxy’s core.
NGC 5486 is located near the Pinwheel Galaxy, officially known as NGC 5457, which is approximately 21 million light-years away from Earth.
NGC 5457 is situated in the Ursa Major constellation, making it one of the closest galaxies to our planet. This galaxy is twice the size of the Milky Way, containing over one trillion stars with clearly defined spiral arms.
Image of the Pinwheel Galaxy captured in 2006. (Photo: NASA).
The Pinwheel Galaxy was previously photographed by Hubble in 2006. At that time, it was the largest and most detailed image of a spiral galaxy recorded by the space telescope.
The latest image of NGC 5486 is part of a project exploring remnants left by Type II supernovae — explosions marking the end of a massive star’s life cycle.
According to a NASA representative, NGC 5486 witnessed a supernova in 2004. Consequently, astronomers utilized the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on Hubble to track the aftermath of the explosion, aiding in a better understanding of these events.
