of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope It has provided astronomers with a detailed new image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5668.
In this image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5668, the Hubble Space Telescope was used to survey the area surrounding a Type II supernova event called SN 2004G to study the types of stars that end their lives as supernovae. The color image is composed of near-infrared and visible light observations by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. The colors are obtained by assigning a different color to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Kilpatrick.
NGC 5668 It is located in the constellation Virgo and is about 90 million light years away from Earth.
This galaxy, also known as IRAS 14309+0440, LEDA 52018, and UGC 9363, Found It was discovered on April 29, 1786 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
NGC 5668 belongs to two galaxy groups: the NGC 5638 group and the NGC 5746 group.
“At first glance, NGC 5668 does not appear to be a remarkable galaxy,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“It has a diameter of about 90,000 light-years and is roughly the same size and mass as our own Milky Way galaxy. It faces almost head-on, revealing open spiral arms made up of irregular, cloud-like patches.”
“One striking difference between the Milky Way and NGC 5668 is that new stars are forming 60 percent faster in this galaxy.”
“This confirms a galaxy with swirling clouds and gas flows, and bad weather that creates the perfect conditions for new star formation.”
Astronomers have identified two main drivers of star formation in NGC 5668.
“First, this high-quality Hubble Space Telescope snapshot reveals a central bar,” the researchers said.
“Although it may appear slightly elliptical rather than truly bar-shaped, it is likely to influence the galaxy's star formation rate, similar to the bar-like structure at the centers of many spiral galaxies.”
“Second, a high-velocity hydrogen gas cloud has been tracked moving perpendicularly between the galaxy's disk and the faint, spherical halo that surrounds it.”
“They are produced by the powerful stellar winds of hot, massive stars, which feed gas into new star-forming regions.”
“The elevated star formation rate in NGC 5668 is accompanied by a corresponding abundance of supernova explosions,” the researchers said.
“It has been discovered three times in our galaxy, in 1952, 1954, and 2004.”
Source: www.sci.news
