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NASA has described the galaxy as “a shining gem”.
Bright spiral galaxy
NASA has released a stunning Hubble Space Telescope image of a spiral galaxy 68 million light years from Earth.
The spiral galaxy is known as NGC 1385 and is located in the constellation Fornax – the Latin word for “oven”, according to a NASA blog. Described by the agency as “a gem,” the image was captured using Hubble’s Wide-Field Camera 3, which is considered the telescope’s “state-of-the-art camera” due to its reliability.
Turn on the oven
Fornax was named by Nicolas-Louis de Lecaille, a French astronomer from the beginning of the 18th century.
The constellation was not named for its warmth, mind you. Lacaille simply liked to name the constellations he discovered after scientific instruments. His other discoveries include Atlia, or “the air pump”; Telescope, or “the telescope”; and Norma, or “the ruler”.
Hubble’s back is fine
At the start of summer 2021, the Hubble Space Telescope went offline for a month after the breakdown of its computer control system.
For a while, it looked like the 31-year-old spacecraft might be gone for good. Fortunately, NASA was able switch the telescope to its backup computer.
Since the agency doesn’t have a craft to send astronauts to physically repair Hubble, however, there’s a feeling it’s over borrowed time. This means that the next hardware problem could be the last.
For now, it is a joy to see that the Hubble Space Telescope is back in working order. Hopefully, he can make some more amazing discoveries until he completes his mission for good.
READ MORE: Hubble sees a galaxy in a “furnace” [NASA]
Learn more about Hubble: NASA’s Hubble Finds Evidence Of Water Vapor On One Of Jupiter’s Moons
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