Today's Image

Meet an iconic spiral galaxy

Large galaxy with foggy lighted center and spiral arms with pinkish spots along them.
View larger. | This image from the Hubble Space Telescope – first published on April 29, 2019 – shows a classic example of a spiral galaxy. This galaxy is labeled NGC 2903, and it’s located about 30 million light-years away in the constellation Leo the Lion. Hubble surveyed this galaxy as part of a study of the central regions of roughly 145 nearby disk galaxies. This study aimed to help astronomers understand the relationship between the colossal black holes in the cores of galaxies like these, and the bulge of stars, gas, and dust at the galaxy’s center, such as that seen in this image. Image via ESA.
Posted 
June 25, 2019
 in 
Today's Image

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