Hubble Space Telescope picture of the irregular spiral galaxy NGC 5486 against a background of dim, distant galaxies. Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, C. Kilpatrick
In this image from the Hubble Space Telescope, the irregular spiral galaxy NGC 5486 hangs against a background of dim, remote galaxies. The tenuous disc of the galaxy is threaded through with pink wisps of star formation, which stand out from the scattered radiance of the galaxys intense core. While this particular galaxy has indistinct, meandering spiral arms it lies close to the much bigger Pinwheel Galaxy, one of the best-known examples of grand design spiral galaxies with popular and distinct spiral arms.
In 2006 Hubble caught an image of the Pinwheel Galaxy which was– at the time– the largest and most in-depth photo of a spiral galaxy ever taken with Hubble (see image below).
This Hubble image exposes the massive Pinwheel galaxy, one of the best-known examples of “grand style spirals,” and its supergiant star-forming areas in unprecedented detail. The image is the biggest and most in-depth photo of a spiral galaxy ever taken with Hubble. Credit: European Space Agency & & NASA
NGC 5486 lies 110 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. Constellations are not only patterns of intense stars, however likewise a system that astronomers use to divide the sky into regions.
In this image from the Hubble Space Telescope, the irregular spiral galaxy NGC 5486 hangs versus a background of dim, remote galaxies. The rare disc of the galaxy is threaded through with pink wisps of star development, which stand out from the diffuse glow of the galaxys intense core. While this specific galaxy has indistinct, meandering spiral arms it lies close to the much bigger Pinwheel Galaxy, one of the best-known examples of grand design spiral galaxies with distinct and prominent spiral arms.
Alioth is the brightest star in Ursa Major, while the Whirlpool Galaxy is a popular spiral galaxy located near the border with Canes Venatici.
Its main pattern consists of seven bright stars that form the shape of a dipper or a pan, known as the Big Dipper or the Plough. The constellation likewise consists of a number of other notable stars and objects, consisting of binary stars, star clusters, and galaxies. Alioth is the brightest star in Ursa Major, while the Whirlpool Galaxy is a famous spiral galaxy situated near the border with Canes Venatici.
This observation originates from a choice of Hubble images checking out the fragments left by Type II supernovae. As massive stars reach the end of their lives they cast off big quantities of gas and dust prior to ending their lives in titanic supernova surges. NGC 5486 hosted a supernova in 2004, and astronomers utilized the keen vision of Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) to check out the after-effects in the hopes of discovering more about these explosive occasions.
