April 18, 2024

This gorgeous spiral galaxy spotted by Hubble telescope is a yardstick for galactic expansion

While the James Webb Space Telescope is getting a lot of press recently, its predecessor the Hubble Space Telescope continues to impress; this time of the galaxy NGC 6956, a near-perfect example of a disallowed galaxy located about 214 million light-years away from Earth.Barred galaxies, which get their name from the really popular “bar” of stars that cut throughout the galactic nucleus, are amongst the most typical type of galaxies in the recognized universe, making up an estimated 70% of all galaxies (opens in brand-new tab). The galaxy is 214 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Delphinus. There are other intriguing functions of NGC 6956, like a visible Type Ia supernova, which is the item of a white dwarf star blowing up as a result of accreting matter from a companion star.This type of supernova is another key technique for determining the range of far-away galaxies, since astronomers are able to determine how quickly a supernova dims to assist measure its distance from Earth.