The Hubble team has unveiled a breathtaking new image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing the Facon Spiral Galaxy NGC 1309.
Hubble’s image reveals NGC 1309, a spiral galaxy situated about 100 million light years away in the Eridanus constellation. This color representation is a result of observations from Hubble’s Advanced Camera (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), utilizing multiple filters to explore ultraviolet, infrared, and optical wavelengths. Each color corresponds to a specific filter’s monochromatic image. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/L. Galbany/S. Jha/K. Noll/A. Riess.
NGC 1309 is located about 100 million light years away in the constellation Eridanus.
Commonly referred to as IRAS03197-1534, LEDA 12626, or TC 470, this galaxy has a diameter of 75,000 light years.
NGC 1309 was first discovered on October 3, 1785, by the German-British astronomer William Herschel.
The galaxy is the brightest member of the NGC 1309 group, which also includes MCG -03-09-027 and UGCA 71.
“The mesmerizing Hubble images capture the bluish tones of NGC 1309, alongside dark brown gas clouds and shimmering white centers, interspersed with hundreds of remote background galaxies,” remarked Hubble astronomers.
“Almost every dot, stripe, and cluster of light in this image represents an individual galaxy.”
“The sole exception in this vast extragalactic scenery is a star, identifiable near the top of the frame due to its distinctive diffraction spikes.”
“This star is relatively nearby, merely thousands of light years away within our Milky Way galaxy.”
Significant scientific interest in NGC 1309 arises from two supernovae. SN 2002fk and SN 2012Z, which occurred in 2002 and 2012, respectively.
“The SN 2002fk exemplified the type Ia supernova, occurring when a white dwarf’s core explodes,” the astronomer explained.
“Conversely, SN 2012Z displayed a more unique behavior, classified as a type IAX supernova. Its spectrum resembled that of a type Ia supernova, yet its brightness was unexpectedly dim.”
“Hubble’s observations revealed that the explosion did not fully annihilate the white dwarf, resulting in a ‘zombie star’ that shone even more brightly than before the supernova event.”
“Hubble’s extensive observations of NGC 1309 over several years enabled the identification of supernova progenitor cells within images taken prior to the explosion.”
Source: www.sci.news
