Hubble Lights the Way with New Multiwavelength Galaxy View
Hubble Space Telescope
Home
Hubble Lights the Way with New…
Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Home
Overview
About Hubble
The History of Hubble
Hubble Timeline
Why Have a Telescope in Space?
Hubble by the Numbers
At the Museum
FAQs
Impact & Benefits
Hubble’s Impact & Benefits
Science Impacts
Cultural Impact
Technology Benefits
Impact on Human Spaceflight
Astro Community Impacts
Science
Hubble Science
Science Themes
Science Highlights
Science Behind Discoveries
Hubble’s Partners in Science
Universe Uncovered
Explore the Night Sky
Observatory
Hubble Observatory
Hubble Design
Mission Operations
Missions to Hubble
Hubble vs Webb
Team
Hubble Team
Career Aspirations
Hubble Astronauts
News
Hubble News
Hubble News Archive
Social Media
Media Resources
Multimedia
Multimedia
Images
Videos
Sonifications
Podcasts
E-books
Lithographs
Fact Sheets
Glossary
Posters
Hubble on the NASA App
More
Online Activities
2 min read
Hubble Lights the Way with New Multiwavelength Galaxy View
This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features the galaxy NGC 1559.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Belfiore, W. Yuan, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team, A. Riess, K. Takáts, D. de Martin & M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
The magnificent galaxy featured in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is NGC 1559. It is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Reticulum, approximately 35 million light-years from Earth. The brilliant light captured in the current image offers a wealth of information.
This picture is composed of a whopping ten different Hubble images, each filtered to collect light from a specific wavelength or range of wavelengths. It spans Hubble’s sensitivity to light, from ultraviolet through visible light and into the near-infrared spectrum. Capturing such a wide range of wavelengths allows astronomers to study information about many different astrophysical processes in the galaxy: one notable example is the red 656-nanometer filter used here. Ionized hydrogen atoms emit light at this particular wavelength, called H-alpha emission. New stars forming in a molecular cloud, made mostly of hydrogen gas, emit copious amounts of ultraviolet light that the cloud absorbs, ionizing the hydrogen gas causing it to glow with H-alpha light. Using Hubble’s filters to detect only H-alpha light provides a reliable way to detect areas of star formation (called H II regions). These regions are visible in this image as bright red and pink patches filling NGC 1559’s spiral arms.
These ten images come from six different Hubble observing programs, spanning from 2009 all the way up to 2024. Teams of astronomers from around the world proposed these programs with a variety of scientific goals, ranging from studying ionized gas and star formation, to following up on a supernova, to tracking variable stars as a contribution to calculating the Hubble constant. The data from all of these observations lives in the Hubble archive, available for anyone to use. This archive is regularly used to generate new science, but also to create spectacular images like this one! This new image of NGC 1559 is a reminder of the incredible opportunities that Hubble provided and continues to provide.
Along with Hubble’s observations, astronomers are using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to continue researching this galaxy. This Webb image from February showcases the galaxy in near- and mid-infrared light.
Download this image
Facebook logo
@NASAHubble
@NASAHubble
Instagram logo
@NASAHubble
Media Contact:
Claire AndreoliNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, [email protected]
Share
Details
Last Updated
Sep 20, 2024
Editor
Andrea Gianopoulos
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Related Terms
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Spiral Galaxies
The Universe
Keep Exploring
Discover More Topics From Hubble
Hubble Space Telescope
Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.
Science Behind the Discoveries
Hubble’s Galaxies
Hubble Posters
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings