Hubble astronomers have released a stunning new image of the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 4879, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows irregular dwarf galaxy UGC 4879, about 3.6 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble Space Telescope / K. Chiboucas, NOIRLab and Gemini North / M. Monelli, Canarian Astrophysics Institute / Gladys Kober, NASA and Catholic University.
UGC 4879 is an irregular dwarf galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major.
Also known as VV124 and LEDA 26142, this galaxy is quite isolated.
It lies 3.6 million light years from our Milky Way galaxy and 3.9 million light years from the Andromeda galaxy.
Dwarf galaxy Leo A, located about 1.6 million light-years away, is UGC 4879's closest neighbor.
This isolation makes UGC 4879 an ideal laboratory to study primordial star formation, without the complications of interactions with other galaxies.
There are only two other galaxies in the Local Group that have a similar, though slightly lower, isolation to UGC 4879: DDO 210 and SgrDIG, which are located in the opposite direction from UGC 4879.
“UGC 4879 is an isolated dwarf galaxy that lies just outside our Local Group of galaxies,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“Because of its isolation, we are studying UGC 4879 to determine whether it is an old, relatively undisturbed galaxy.”
“Theories suggest that the least massive dwarf galaxies may have formed first.”
“If UGC 4879 is a relic from the early universe, it may offer clues about the hierarchy and evolution of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and even the universe itself.”
This image of UGC 4879 combines data from two Hubble observing programs focused on learning more about how dwarf galaxies form and evolve.
Source: www.sci.news
