NASA Hubble Space Telescope Captures a Stunning Spiral Galaxy 45 Million Light Years Away

The NASA Hubble Space Telescope has delivered an incredible new image of the spiral galaxy IC 1954, located approximately 45 million light years from Earth in the Horologium constellation, also known as The Clock. Seen at a diagonal tilt, IC 1954's bright core and sweeping spiral arms give it the appearance of a cosmic pendulum. This galaxy is filled with star-forming regions, visible as glowing pink patches in the image, offering a deeper insight into the formation of stars within galaxies.

Combined data from three advanced telescopes

The new observations of IC 1954 significantly improve upon earlier images. The inclusion of H-alpha data, highlighted by red regions in the image, marks the areas where hydrogen is abundant and stars are actively forming. These glowing areas, spread across the galaxy's disc, were explained by the European Space Agency (ESA) in a statement. They mentioned that some astronomers suggest the bright ‘bar' across the galaxy could be an energetic star-forming zone positioned over the galactic centre.

The remarkable detail in the image was made possible by the combined efforts of three powerful telescopes. Alongside the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile also contributed to this observation.

Together, these instruments are studying over fifty nearby galaxies, offering a comprehensive view across radio, infrared, optical, and ultraviolet wavelengths. This data is essential for understanding how matter moves through interstellar dust and gases in galaxies, aiding in the understanding of galaxy evolution.

The ESA also highlighted the importance of Hubble's ultraviolet and optical capabilities in observing young stars and clusters. These wavelengths capture the most active periods of star formation. The data gathered by Hubble will be instrumental in furthering research on how stars evolve, building on the foundation set by the James Webb Space Telescope's ongoing science missions.

 



from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/Z9yJ80W

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 origins: Should we pay more attention to the lab leak theory and formally investigate it?

Image
A year and a half into the pandemic, we still do not know exactly where the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, came from. The prevailing view so far has been that the virus “spilled over” from bats into humans. But there are increasing calls to investigate the possibility that it emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China, where Covid first appeared at the end of 2019. So what do we know for sure, and what do we need still to find out? We know the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is close to that of bat coronaviruses . Several decades ago its “ancestor” was circulating in bat populations in southern Asia. But there are still many unanswered questions: we don’t know how the virus arrived in Wuhan, how its sequence evolved to allow human infection, and under what conditions it infected the first people who crossed its path. And for each of these stages, we don’t know whether there was a human contribution (direct or indirect). Zoonotic transmission pathways, in other words the pas
Read more

Menstrual cups are cheaper, more sustainable than pads and tampons for women

Image
Every year in America, women spend at least US$2.8 billion on sanitary pads and tampons that can take hundreds of years to decompose . Is there a more economical and environmentally friendly way? To find out, we asked Susan Powers , a professor of sustainable environmental systems at Clarkson University about her work comparing the environmental impact of tampons, sanitary pads and menstrual cups. What is a menstrual cup? A menstrual cup is a type of reusable feminine hygiene product. It’s a small, flexible bell-shaped cup made of rubber or silicone that a woman inserts into her vagina to catch and collect menstrual fluid. It can be used for up to 12 hours, after which it is removed to dispose of the fluid and cleaned. The cup is rinsed with hot water and soap between each insertion and sterilized in boiling water at least once per period. A cup can last up to 10 years . Although menstrual cups have been around for decades, they historically have been less popular than pads or ta
Read more

Human bodies respond to infections differently depending on the time of day

Image
When microorganisms – such as bacteria or viruses – infect us, our immune system jumps into action. It’s highly trained to sense and eliminate infections and clear up any damage caused by them. It’s typically assumed our immune systems work the exact same way regardless of whether an infection occurs during the day or at night. But research spanning over half a century now shows our bodies actually respond differently at day and night. The reason for this is our body clock, and the fact that each cell in the body, including our immune cells, can tell what time of day it is. Our body clock has evolved over millions of years to help us survive. Every cell in the body has a collection of proteins that indicate the time depending on their levels. Knowing whether it’s day or night means our body can adjust its functions and behaviours (such as when we want to eat) to the correct time. Our body clock does this by generating 24 hour rhythms (also termed circadian rhythms ) in how cells f
Read more