An image of Hubble in Earths orbit (Image source: NASA; cropped)
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is an image of NGC 7496. NGC 7496, a galaxy that sits about 24 million light-years away from Earth, has now featured twice as the picture of the week.
NGC 7496 is a spiral galaxy located over 24 million light-years away in the constellation Grus (The Crane). Hubble first observed this galaxy as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) program. The program aims to study how stars form in nearby galaxies — from gas clouds to newborn stars, to fully formed star clusters.
This new Hubble image includes new data. It highlights NGC 7496’s star clusters. The galaxy’s young star clusters consist of hot and massive stars. These stars appear bluish in Hubble’s view.
In this image, the clusters are surrounded by glowing red clouds of hydrogen gas. The image also highlights star-forming nebulae. These are the pink-glowing regions scattered around the galaxy’s spiral arms.
Interestingly, NGC 7496 has an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The galaxy has a supermassive black hole in its center. The activity of this black hole powers the luminous AGN.
Hubble’s observation shows a bar of yellowish light at the center. This bar is formed from an elongated collection of stars and interstellar material orbiting the galactic center. The spiral arms emerge from each end of this bar. The bright star seen to the right of NGC 7496 is from our Milky Way galaxy.
Other observatories like Webb have also looked in NGC 7496’s direction. In fact, the galaxy was the first in the PHANGS sample that Webb observed.
The Hubble image of NGC 7496 (Image source: ESA/Hubble, NASA, R. Chandar, J. Lee, and the PHANGS-HST team)
Chibuike Okpara – Tech Writer – 244 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2024
I have always been fascinated by technology and digital devices my entire life and even got addicted to it. I have always marveled at the intricacy of even the simplest digital devices and systems around us. I have been writing and publishing articles online for about 6 years now, just about a year ago, I found myself lost in the marvel of smartphones and laptops we have in our hands every day. I developed a passion for learning about new devices and technologies that come with them and at some point, I asked myself, “Why not get into writing tech articles?” It is useless to say I followed up the idea — it is evident. I am an open-minded individual who derives an infinite amount of joy from researching and discovering new information, I believe there is so much to learn and such a short life to live, so I put my time to good use — learning new things. I am a ‘bookworm’ of the internet and digital devices. When I am not writing, you will find me on my devices still, I do explore and admire the beauty of nature and creatures. I am a fast learner and quickly adapt to changes, always looking forward to new adventures.