The NGC 685 is abundant in star-forming nebulae and appears as a dazzling pink cloud in recent images captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
This Hubble image illustrates the Spiral Galaxy NGC 685 on the bar. The color images were created from individual exposures captured in ultraviolet light using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and derived from visible and near-infrared sections of the spectrum. Built upon data gathered through six filters, different hues are assigned to each monochromatic image related to a specific filter. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/J. Lee/F. Belfiore.
NGC 685 is situated approximately 64 million light-years away in the southern constellation of Eridanus.
Previously known as ESO 152-24, IRAS 01458-5300, or LEDA 6581, the galaxy was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on October 3, 1834.
Spanning around 74,000 light-years, the galaxy features a luminous central bar and a distinctively curved arm.
“NGC 685 is classified as a barred spiral galaxy, with its delicate spiral arms emerging from the edge of a stellar bar at the heart of the galaxy,” Hubble astronomers stated.
“The Milky Way, while not a perfect spiral, is nearly twice the size of NGC 685.”
Astronomers utilized Hubble for two observational programs focused on star formation in NGC 685.
“It’s no surprise that NGC 685 was selected for these studies. The galaxy’s spiral arms are marked by numerous patches of young blue stars,” they noted.
“Many of these star clusters are enveloped by a vibrant pink gas cloud known as the H II region.”
“The H II region is a gas cloud that gleams momentarily, especially during the birth of a massive, hot star.”
“The particularly striking H II region can be seen near the lower edge of the image.”
“Despite the visible star-forming regions, NGC 685 converts gas into stars each year at a rate of less than half the mass of the sun.”
“The data collected by Hubble across two observational programs enables us to catalog 50,000 H II regions and 100,000 star clusters in nearby galaxies.”
“By merging Hubble’s sensitive visibility and ultraviolet observations with data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and wireless data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we explore the depths of dusty star nurseries and illuminate the stars within.”
Source: www.sci.news
