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Hubble is back with another stunning photo. This time, the space telescope has captured a galaxy 68 million light years from Earth.
Nasa just shared a new photo of its iconic Hubble Telescope – and this one could be one of the most impressive images yet. Simply put, Hubble is one of the most valuable assets in all of space exploration. It has made more than 1.3 million observations since its launch in 1990, ranging from images of distant galaxies to helping scientists determine the exact age of the universe.
In 2021 alone, Hubble made many discoveries that are worth noting. A photo from 2019 was shared for the first time this year, revealing a large galaxy casting a massive shadow across the vastness of space. Another image from a few days ago showed a “ghost” galaxy completely absent from all dark matter. Pictures like this are undoubtedly fun to watch, but they also provide valuable information to help astronomers better understand the fascinating universe around us.
For Hubble’s latest discovery, NASA shared a photo of a spiral galaxy in the constellation Fornax. This galaxy (named NGC 1385) has a bright white / yellow center, a large assortment of stars all around, and a distinct spiral shape. Unlike other constellations named after gods or animals, Fornax is the Latin word for “furnace”. It is one of the 14 constellations that astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille named in the 1700s.
What makes this latest Hubble photo so amazing
Hubble shares awesome space photos all the time, so what makes this space so special? According to NASA, NGC 1385 is 68 million light years from Earth. For some context, Mars is around 22 light minutes far from Earth. Even for a planet like Pluto, which is much more distant, it is estimated to be 0.000628 light years from our planet. NGC 1385 is a galaxy that humans will likely never be able to physically visit, but thanks to Hubble’s continuously impressive work, scientists now have a surprisingly clear view of it.
As for the Hubble component that took that specific photo, that credit goes to its wide-field camera 3. Also called WF3, NASA installed the instrument on Hubble in 2009 during the Hubble 4 maintenance mission. According to NASA , the main advantage of WF3 is, “its ability to cover the electromagnetic spectrum from the ultraviolet (UV), through visible light, and in the near infrared.” WF3 has been invaluable in the Hubble missions for the 11 years since its installation, with NASA citing it as “The Hubble Work Camera.” Looking at the photo, we can tell that WF3 is more than impressive. The galaxy is beautiful to look at without any context, but knowing that so much detail has been captured 68 million light years away makes it all the more breathtaking.
Source: NASA (1), (2)
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