NASA and ESA's Hubble Space Telescope has released its latest image of the week, showing a stunning view of a nearby spiral galaxy. The galaxy, called NGC 2835, is located about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra.
In the latest images taken by Hubble, the spiral galaxy NGC 2835 explodes with pink nebulae, showing the life cycle of stars in stunning detail. Image credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA, R. Chandar, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST team
Hubble has previously imaged the galaxy, including a photo released in 2020, and more recently, it has been observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. At first glance, the new photo doesn't look much different from the previous one. The galaxy's graceful spiral arms still curve around a bright, elliptical center filled with old stars, while young blue stars shine along the rotating arms.
What's unique about this latest image is the addition of data that captures a specific wavelength of red light, called H-alpha. This allowed astronomers to highlight regions of the galaxy's spiral arms that emit H-alpha radiation. There, bright pink nebulae shine like flowers scattered across the galaxy. H-alpha radiation is particularly important to researchers because it reveals different types of nebulae associated with different stages of a star's life. Massive newborn stars ignite glowing H II regions, while the final activity of dying stars leaves behind supernova remnants or planetary nebulae, all of which can be tracked by their H-alpha signature.
Using this capability, Hubble is surveying 19 nearby galaxies with the goal of recording more than 50,000 nebulae. This massive effort will help scientists better understand how stars interact with their surroundings and shape their shape through their powerful radiation and stellar winds.
Compiled from /scitechdaily