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A warped, edge-on spiral galaxy

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April 19, 2015

Warped, edge-on spiral galaxy ESO 510-G13, as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2001. Read more about this image. Image via NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

The Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week. Has any other recent innovation in astronomy so changed our perception of the cosmos? We’ll be running some glorious Hubble images this week, like the one above of ESO 510-G13, a warped spiral galaxy seen edge-on from our earthly perspective. The dust and spiral arms of normal spiral galaxies, like our own Milky Way, appear flat when viewed edge-on. This galaxy has an unusual twisted disk structure. ESO 510-G13 lies in the southern constellation Hydra, roughly 150 million light-years from Earth. Hubble captured this image in 2001.

Click here for links to activities in celebration of Hubble’s 25th!

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April 19, 2015

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.