This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the central region of Messier 96 (M96), a spiral galaxy of about the same mass and size as the Milky Way.
The galaxy resembles a giant maelstrom of glowing gas, rippled with dark dust that swirls inward toward the nucleus. Messier 96, alternately known as NGC 3368, is a very asymmetric galaxy; its dust and gas is unevenly spread throughout its weak spiral arms, and its core is not exactly at the galactic center. Its arms are also asymmetrical, thought to have been influenced by the gravitational pull of other galaxies within the same group as Messier 96.
Hubble studied Messier 96 as part of a survey of 50 nearby galaxies known as the Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS), providing an unprecedented view of star formation within the local regions of universe.
For more information, visit: www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1535a/
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA and the LEGUS Team;
Acknowledgment: R. Gendler
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Tags: Messier 96 Hubble NASA galaxy cosmos space astronomy spiral galaxy ESA Hubble Space Telescope M96
Astronomers used the Hubble Space telescope to revisit one of its most iconic subjects, the so-called "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula (M16). Three towers of gas and dust, standing light-years tall, are giving birth to new stars, buried within their dusty spires.
The pillars became famous after Hubble first imaged them in 1995 using the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The features were observed again in late 2014 with that instrument's more advanced replacement, the Wide Field Camera 3. With its higher resolution, the new camera provides a sharper view of the pillars and also presents a wider vista, showing the base of the pillars and more of the region surrounding them.
In addition, the new observations captured a portrait of the pillars in infrared light, as well as in visible light. The longer wavelengths of infrared light pass more easily through the dusty environs, allowing us to see more of the wispy details and the stars normally hidden inside or behind the pillars when viewed in visible light.
By comparing Hubble's original image of the pillars to the new one, astronomers also noticed changes in a jet-like feature shooting away from one of the newborn stars within the pillars. The jet grew 60 billion miles longer in the time between observations, suggesting material in the jet was traveling at a speed of about 450,000 miles per hour.
Such observations of the details and changes in the pillars of the Eagle Nebula, and of observations near and far throughout the universe, have been made possible by Hubble’s viewpoint beyond Earth's atmosphere, by its technical upgrades over the years, and the longevity of its career.
For more information please visit:
hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2015/news-2015-01.html
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
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Tags: Hubble Space Telescope Nebula Hubble Space Telescope pillars of creation infrared light M16 emission nebulae Astronomical Hubble Telescope Eagle Nebula Messier 16 star formation region Serpens dusty spires stellar jet astronomy space NASA