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Astronomers using the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope produced a spectacularly detailed image of the central region of NGC 4535.
This Hubble image shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 4535. The color image consists of observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) in the ultraviolet, near infrared and optical portions of the spectrum. Five filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color results from assigning different tints to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image Credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J. Lee / PHANGS-HST Team.
NGC 4535 resides approximately 52.6 million light years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.
Otherwise known as LEDA 41812 and UGC 7727, this galaxy was observed for the first time by the German-British astronomer William Herschel on December 28, 1785.
When viewed through a smaller telescope, NGC 4535 has a hazy, ghostly appearance, which inspired prominent amateur astronomer Leland S. Copeland to name it “ The Lost Galaxy ” in the 1950s.
The galaxy is one of the largest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, a massive cluster of no less than 2,000 galaxies, and is located near the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87.
NGC 4535’s almost circular appearance shows that we are seeing it almost from the front.
At its center, there is a well-defined bar structure, with dust paths that curl sharply before the spiral arms break away from the ends of the bar.
“The vivid colors in this Hubble image are not only beautiful to look at, because they actually tell us about the star population in NGC 4535,” Hubble astronomers said.
“The vivid blue colors, nestled between its long, spiraling arms, indicate the presence of more younger, warmer stars.
“In contrast, the yellower tones of the NGC 4535 bulge suggest that this central area harbors older, cooler stars.”
“This galaxy was studied as part of the PHANGS investigation, which aims to clarify many links between cold gas clouds, star formation, and the general shape and other properties of galaxies,” they declared.
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