Science 20

NASA Hubble Telescope has shared stunning images of spiral galaxy

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3059 (Photo - Hubble/NASA)

In May 2024, yet again, a stunning photo of a spiral galaxy was captured by the NASA Hubble Telescope. This spiral galaxy is named NGC 3059, which lies about 57 million light-years from Earth. The photo was released to the public on June 7.

The Hubble Telescope uses a variety of filters and cutting-edge technologies to let certain light wavelengths reach its equipment, after which it takes images of space.

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The NGC 3059 image was captured using two filters, which are narrow and wide band filters. The narrow band filter is used to observe the H-alpha emissions and to filter out the specific wavelength of light that is linked to particular physical and chemical processes.

Wide-band filters are used to do this because they capture a wider range of wavelengths and allow astronomers to isolate sections of the electromagnetic spectrum. As a result, the combination of multiple filters produces a detailed cosmic object image, just like NGC 3059.

The image of NGC 3059 shows a stunning barred spiral galaxy that is distinguished by its bar-shaped core. It has beautiful spiral arms that radiate away from the center and are decorated with star-forming areas. This Hubble image shows the galaxy’s numerous features, including its cosmic dance of stars, gas, and dust.

The bluish patches in the galaxy indicate various stellar populations, whereas the pinkish spots in the galaxy correlate to places that are actively creating stars.

These images captured by Hubble helped the scientists understand the universe and its expansion. Understanding cosmic objects and their size, shapes, and ages will be revealed.