New images taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show a small area of the Small Magellanic Cloud, one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way.
This Hubble image shows a small area of the Small Magellanic Cloud near the center of open cluster NGC 346. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/C. Murray.
Small Magellanic Cloud is an elongated dwarf galaxy known for its less prominent bars and eastern expansions.
Also known as the NGC 292 or LEDA 3085, it is about 200,000 light years away from Earth, extending 7,000 light years.
“Most of the Small Magellanic Cloud is found in the constellations of Tucana, but small sections cross the adjacent constellations of Hydos,” said Hubble astronomers.
“Thanks to its proximity, the Small Magellanic Cloud is one of the few galaxies that can be seen from Earth without the help of telescopes or binoculars.”
“For viewers in the Southern Hemisphere and some latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the Small Magellanic Cloud resembles parts of the broken Milky Way, but in reality, it is farther than any part of our own galaxy.”
The new Hubble image captures a small area of the Small Magellanic Cloud near the center of NGC 346.
Images were made from individual exposures taken with UV light. Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
“With the 2.4m 'eyes' and sensitive instruments, Hubble's view of the Small Magellanic Cloud is much more detailed and clearer than what humans can see,” the astronomer said.
“I used a wide field camera 3 instruments from Hubble. Observe This scene is through four different filters. “
“Each filter recognizes light of different wavelengths and creates a multicolored view of dust clouds floating through the field of stars.”
“But Hubble's view is much zoomed in than our eyes, so it's better to observe objects that are very far away.”
Source: www.sci.news
