March 28, 2024

Weird and Wonderful Galaxies: Hubble Captures a Peculiar Galactic Pair

Hubble Space Telescope image of Arp 298, a stunning pair of engaging galaxies. Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, A. Evans, R. Chandar
This striking image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases Arp 298, a sensational set of connecting galaxies. Arp 298– which comprises the two galaxies NGC 7469 and IC 5283– lies approximately 200 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The larger of the two galaxies visualized here is the disallowed spiral galaxy NGC 7469, and IC 5283 is its diminutive companion. NGC 7469 is also host to an active, supermassive great void and an intense ring of star clusters.
The “Arp” in this galaxy pairs name signifies that they are listed in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies put together by the astronomer Halton Arp. The Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies is a rogues gallery of odd and fantastic galaxies including strange structures, featuring galaxies exhibiting whatever from segmented spiral arms to concentric rings. This interacting galaxy pair is a familiar sight for Hubble– a picture of the combining galaxies in Arp 298 was published in 2008.
This picture of Arp 298 includes information from 3 different Hubble propositions. By combining observations from three proposals, Arp 298 is recorded in marvelous detail in 7 various filters from 2 of Hubbles instruments– the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys.

Arp 298– which consists of the 2 galaxies NGC 7469 and IC 5283– lies approximately 200 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The “Arp” in this galaxy pairs name signifies that they are noted in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies compiled by the astronomer Halton Arp. The Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies is a rogues gallery of fantastic and weird galaxies consisting of peculiar structures, including galaxies exhibiting everything from segmented spiral arms to concentric rings.

The process of planning Hubble observations starts with a proposition– an in-depth strategy of what an astronomer plans to observe and their clinical inspiration for doing so. When a year, these propositions are gathered and judged in a difficult review procedure which examine their clinical merit and feasibility. Fewer than 20% of the proposed observations in any given year will make it through this procedure and be authorized, that makes observing time with Hubble highly treasured certainly.
This system will be among the first galaxies observed with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope as part of the Directors Discretionary Early Release Science Programs in Summer 2022.

By ESA Hubble
February 20, 2022