This new Hubble Space Telescope image appears to show a gaseous calamity happening deep in space. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has given a spectacular array of images that have astounded and inspired the public since its launch in 1990. But Hubble is about much more than just taking stunning photographs. Over the decades, the project has collected dozens of gigabytes of data, providing critical insights into the universe, from objects as close as the moon to the most distant galaxies, with studies of supernovas and nebulas in between.
The image depicts the galaxy NGC 3718, which NASA officials describe as a “very disordered spiral,” indicating that its creation was disrupted. As the galaxy approaches the gravitational well of the nearby galaxy NGC 3729, the cosmic interaction pushes NGC 3718 into an S-shaped warp. The galaxies are separated by 150,000 light-years, with NGC 3729 missing from this Hubble Space Telescope image.
The goals of the study included learning how supermassive black hole masses might be related to galactic “bulges” about the center, as well as how star formation happens throughout a galaxy.
“Hubble’s view of this region of NGC 3718 shows the sinuous, twisting dust lane in detail as it rushes by the centre of the galaxy and curls into the surrounding gas,” NASA officials said in a May 24 statement (opens in new tab). “Both the galaxy’s gas and dust lanes are similarly bent into this unique structure.”
NGC 3718 is also called Arp 214, recognizing its placement in the 1966 Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, constructed by Halton Arp to look at galaxies with unusual structures.
The Hubble telescope was focusing on the galaxy’s nucleus, which was difficult to view due to the amount of dust in the path. Hubble was able to peek through infrared light “as part of a study of the center regions of disk-shaped galaxies, with conspicuous bulges of stars in diverse settings,” according to NASA officials.
By staring at galaxies at the beginning of the cosmos, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope hopes to prolong Hubble’s generation of work. Webb is scheduled to begin work this summer. The study’s goals included determining how supermassive black hole masses might be related to galactic “bulges” near the center of the galaxy, as well as how star formation occurs throughout the galaxy.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope intends to extend Hubble’s generation of work by staring at galaxies near the beginning of the cosmos. Webb is anticipated to begin work this summer. According to NASA, some of Webb’s research will focus on galaxy variation, mergers, and collisions, as well as further insights on galaxies’ interactions with supermassive black holes.
