NASA’s most powerful space telescope, Hubble, captured a singularly picturesque galaxy in a photo the agency released Thursday.
Called NGC 2775, the galaxy is 67 million light-years away and no longer appears to be forming stars. Astronomers may say that is the case due to the relatively empty and clear lump at the center of the galaxy. When I was younger, the middle region of the galaxy was buzzing with activity as gas condensed into newborn stars. Now, however, all the gas appears to be spent.
The arms that revolve around the center of the galaxy are “flocculent”, looking fluffy and feathery, due to the dark lines of dust and gas clouds. Millions of young stars shine bright blue through the haze.
By contrast, other spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way, have more distinct arms where stars and gas are compressed.
This artist’s concept of the Milky Way shows the two main arms and two minor arms of the galaxy attached to the ends of a thick central bar.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
Hubble is NASA’s strongest telescope, but not for long.
NASA launched Hubble into Earth orbit in April 1990. Since then, the telescope discovered new planets, revealed strange galaxies, and provided new insights into the nature of black holes. He also discovered that the universe is expanding faster than scientists imagined.
The Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth, 2002.
NASA / ESA
Upcoming space telescopes could return photos even more shocking than Hubble’s.
NASA’s next project, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), will use more advanced infrared cameras than any previous telescope to image our galaxy.
“Even an image of Webb will be the highest quality image ever obtained of the galactic center,” said Roeland van der Marel, an astronomer who worked on JWST’s imaging tools, in a 2019 press release.
Engineers and technicians working on the James Webb Space Telescope.
NASA / Chris Gunn
Such images could help answer some of the scientists’ most important questions about how our galaxy formed and how it evolves over time.
The upcoming telescope is fully assembled and is now undergoing a lengthy testing process at the Northrop Grumman facility in California before its launch date of March 30, 2021.
In addition, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, named after the woman who made the Hubble launch possible, will have 100 times the view of Hubble. After its launch in the mid-2020s, it is expected to photograph thousands of new exoplanets and explore the nature of dark energy, a mysterious force that makes up 68% of the universe and drives its expansion.
The field of view of the Hubble Space Telescope compared to WFIRST.
POT
During the five-year life of the Roman Space Telescope, it will measure the light of a billion galaxies and examine the inner Milky Way in hopes of finding and photographing some 2,600 new planets. It will also help scientists test Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
