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)
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
