What it is: NGC 4753, a lenticular galaxy
Where it is: 60 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo
When it was shared: May 13, 2024
Why it’s so unique: This is the best-ever picture of NGC 4753, a galaxy with distinctively distorted dust lanes that have actually led some individuals to label it the “train-wreck galaxy.”
This brand-new image from the Hubble Space Telescope, released hot on the heels of a comparable image taken utilizing the Gemini South telescope in January, reveals NGC 4753 in more information than ever previously. A brilliant white core sits at the center of the image, with dark-brown dust lanes developing a nearly web-like tunnel or camping tent around its nucleus.
NGC 4753 is a lenticular galaxy– a cross in between a spiral nebula like the Milky Way and an elliptical galaxy, according to NASA. Lenticular galaxies have a main bulge and disk– similar to a spiral nebula– however they appear to do not have spiral arms bursting with stars. Rather, like elliptical galaxies, they have stars orbiting in a featureless pattern. Those spread stars are typically older, with couple of brand-new stars being born.
Related: Some of the earliest stars in deep space discovered concealing near the Milky Way’s edge– and they might not be alone
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Researchers have actually recommended that NGC 4753’s distinct appearance might just be thanks to our view of it; if seen straight from above, it might look similar to a spiral nebula, according to the National Science Foundation.
It’s believed that NGC 4753 combined with a dwarf galaxy about 1.3 billion years back, which might describe where the dust lanes around its nucleus originated from.
NGC 4753 was initially found by astronomer William Herschel in 1784, and it has actually considering that been the area of 2 recognized supernova surges. Both of those surges were really uncommon Type Ia supernovas, which are when binary star systems including a white dwarf star (the compact residue of a sun-like star) and a bigger buddy star take off. Since these sort of supernovas shine at precisely the exact same intrinsic brightness, astronomers utilize them to determine range in deep space. They can even be utilized to determine how quick deep space is broadening.
