November 2, 2024

Ghostly Galaxies: Hubble’s Glimpse Into the Ethereal NGC 6684

Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys reveals the ghostly NGC 6684, a lenticular galaxy situated 44 million light-years away in the constellation Pavo. The Hubble Space Telescope exposes a mesmerizing image of the lenticular galaxy NGC 6684, bathed in a soft light. They have a big disc however do not have the prominent spiral arms quality of galaxies like the Andromeda Galaxy. The data for this image were gathered during a program entitled Every Known Nearby Galaxy, which aims to observe all galaxies within a variety of 10 megaparsecs, or approximately 32.6 million light-years.

The Universal Galaxy Census
The data for this image were gathered during a program entitled Every Known Nearby Galaxy, which aims to observe all galaxies within a range of 10 megaparsecs, or approximately 32.6 million light-years. Prior to the start of this program, Hubble had observed roughly 75% of these near galaxies.

Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys reveals the ghostly NGC 6684, a lenticular galaxy located 44 million light-years away in the constellation Pavo. This observation belongs to a program surveying all galaxies within a 10-megaparsec radius not formerly visited by Hubble, enhancing our knowledge of galactic variety. Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, R. Tully
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope caught an illuminating picture of the lenticular galaxy NGC 6684, located around 44 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pavo.
The Hubble Space Telescope exposes an enchanting picture of the lenticular galaxy NGC 6684, bathed in a soft light. This image was recorded utilizing Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The galaxy lies approximately 44 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pavo. Called from the Latin term for peacock, Pavo is a constellation situated in the southern sky. It is among four constellations collectively referred to as the Southern Birds.
Characteristics of Lenticular Galaxies
Lenticular galaxies, such as NGC 6684, are lens-shaped in their structure (lenticular means lens-shaped). They have a big disc however lack the popular spiral arms characteristic of galaxies like the Andromeda Galaxy.

By ESA/Hubble
August 6, 2023