NASA's Hubble telescope regularly offers incredible views of outer space, and once again, it's done precisely that with this latest photo of two 'peculiar' galaxies. There are numerous instruments at humanity's disposal for exploring the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope will begin operations later this year to closely study some of the earliest galaxies known to mankind. The Perseverance rover on Mars is actively collecting rock samples that'll be returned to Earth. In 2029, NASA will launch its DAVINCI probe to examine the planet's atmosphere.
Alongside those current and upcoming missions, Hubble continues to be a prominent force for charting planets, stars, and galaxies beyond Earth. Despite being well over 30 years old, NASA still regularly shares dazzling pictures from the telescope! Photos from earlier this month revealed a three-galaxy combination, two galaxies appearing to 'dance' with each other, and a strange 'galactic oddball' that's puzzled astronomers for decades.
For its latest Hubble picture, NASA shared the above photo on February 25. And what a photo it is! We clearly see two galaxies somewhere in the depths of space. The leftmost Galaxy appears to be the largest of the duo and has a distinct spiral shape. The galaxy in the upper right is noticeably smaller but no less beautiful. Surrounding the two galaxies are a smattering of stars and the pitch black of space around them. The image on its own is just as amazing as Hubble's other findings, but as always, the story behind it makes it even more fascinating.
What NASA Knows About These Galaxies
NASA knows the larger galaxy as NGC 7469, while the smaller one is IC 5283. Both galaxies reside around 200 million light-years from Earth in the Pegasus constellation. Together, they're known as the galaxy pair Arp 298. That's also why NASA describes the galaxies as being 'peculiar.'
Arp 298 is listed in the official Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. The Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies was created by astronomer Halton Arp and is a collection of "weird and wonderful galaxies containing peculiar structures." This particular photo of Arp 298 is actually the result of three different Hubble observations merged together. As NASA explains, "By combining observations from three proposals, Arp 298 is captured in glorious detail in seven different filters from two of Hubble’s instruments – the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys."
While this observation of Arp 298 is impressive enough, NASA reminds us that we'll soon get an even better look at the peculiar pair of galaxies. That's because Arp 298 will be one of the first entities to be studied by the James Webb telescope. James Webb is 100 times more powerful than Hubble, meaning it's able to capture galaxies in far greater detail and depth than what's previously been possible. That's not to take away from Hubble's achievements, but the possibilities of studying Arp 298 (and other galaxies) with James Webb are immensely exciting.
Source: NASA