Journey through the cosmos: Hubble’s stunning capture of NGC 1672, a mesmerizing barred spiral galaxy

‍ ‍⁣ ⁣ ‍ This captivating snapshot from the NASA/ESA‍ Hubble Space ⁢Telescope reveals the beauty of ⁤the barred⁣ spiral galaxy‍ NGC 1672 adorned‌ with a supernova explosion at its core. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, O. Fox, L. Jenkins, S. Van Dyk, A.Filippenko,J.Lee ⁢andthePHANGS-HSTTeam,D.deMartin(ESA/Hubble),M.Zamani(ESA/Hubble)
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Behold ‌NGC 1672 in all its‍ glory – a⁤ stunning barred‍ spiral galaxy situated 49 million light-years away in⁤ the constellation Dorado that puts on an extraordinary celestial light⁤ show.

This cosmic wonder is filled with radiant stars⁢ that illuminate its‍ disk with a mesmerizing glow while hydrogen gas⁤ bubbles along its arms‍ emit a vibrant red hue powered ‌by young‌ stars within.

Near the galactic center‍ lies an⁣ array of⁣ spectacular ⁢stars surrounded by a ring of hot gas emitting intense X-rays.

The heart of NGC 1672⁣ hosts an active galactic nucleus producing even more powerful X-rays due to‍ heated ⁢matter swirling around its supermassive ⁤black hole.

A‌ highlight ⁣of this image ‌is the fleeting brilliance of supernova SN 2017GAX visible⁣ as a small green dot near one of⁢ the spiral arms—a temporary spectacle caused by the explosive death of a massive star.

Astronomers seized ‌this opportunity to study any companion star linked to this supernova progenitor before it fades ‌completely.

Recently imaged bytheNASA/ ‌ESA⁤ / CSA James Webb Space Telescope,N GC1672revealeditsgasringandduststructureinthespiralarms.

2024-11-10 09:15:04
Original article available atphys.org