NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.
July 10, 2015
This little-known galaxy, officially named J04542829-6625280, but most often referred to as LEDA 89996, is a classic example of a spiral galaxy. The galaxy is much like our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The disk-shaped galaxy is seen face on, revealing the winding structure of the spiral arms. Dark patches in these spiral arms are in fact dust and gas — the raw materials for new stars. The many young stars that form in these regions make the spiral arms appear bright and bluish.
The galaxy sits in a vibrant area of the night sky within the constellation of Dorado (The Swordfish), and appears very close to the Large Magellanic Cloud — one of the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way.
The observations were carried out with the high resolution channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Related links:
Hubble Space Telescope: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html
Hubble websites: http://www.spacetelescope.org/ and http://hubblesite.org/
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Flickr user C. Claude/Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA).
Greetings, Orbiter.ch
