Hubble Captures Direct View of Intermediate Spiral Galaxy

A stunning new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures the beauty of the Spiral Galaxy NGC 3596.

NGC 3596 is situated approximately 90 million light years away in the constellation Leo.

This galaxy was first discovered by German and British astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784.

Also recognized as Leda 34298, UGC 6277, or Hipass J1115+14, NGC 3596 belongs to the Leo II Group, a collection of galaxies within the Virgo supercluster.

“NGC 3596 is nearly perfectly oriented face-on relative to Earth, revealing the galaxy’s beautifully wound spiral arms,” stated the Hubble astronomer.

“The bright arms are densely packed with stars, gas, and dust.”

“Star formation is particularly vigorous in the spiral arms, as indicated by the vibrant pink regions of star formation and the young blue stars tracing the arms of NGC 3596 in this image.”

“What triggers the formation of these spiral arms? Given the vast variety of spiral galaxies, it’s a complex question,” they noted.

“Some galaxies exhibit clear spiral arms, while others have more erratic feathered arms.”

“Some display prominent bars at their centers, whereas others have compact circular cores.”

“Some galaxies are surrounded by neighbors, while others stand alone.”

“Early theories about the formation of spiral arms were complicated by what they termed a convoluted problem,” the researchers explained.

“If the spiral arms are a coherent feature, they would be tightly wrapped as the galaxy rotates, eventually rendering them invisible.”

Currently, researchers think that spiral arms represent patterns of varying density rather than fixed structures.

“Material such as stars, gas, and dust flows in and out of the spiral arms as they orbit within the galaxy’s disc,” they added.

“Much like vehicles encountering traffic jams, these materials decelerate as they enter the spiral arms, become gravitationally bound, and continue their journey through the galaxy.”