Hubble telescope pinpoints lights of galactic bar 43 million light-years from Earth
The intricate shape, beautiful colors and swirling patterns of the galaxy, named NGC 4731, are influenced by the gravitational interactions with other galaxies in its vicinity, according to NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
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A stunning new image from the Hubble Space Telescope captured a vibrant and captivating spiral galaxy, offering a glimpse into the mesmerizing cosmos.
The intricate shape, beautiful colors and swirling patterns of the galaxy, named NGC 4731, are influenced by the gravitational interactions with other galaxies in its vicinity, according to NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Astronomers say NGC 4731 lies in the constellation Virgo located 43 million light-years from Earth.
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This Hubble Space Telescope image reveals details in the barred spiral galaxy NGC 4731.
(D. Thilker / ESA/Hubble & NASA)
The highly detailed image uses data collected from six different filters, according to the ESA.
"The abundance of color illustrates the galaxy's billowing clouds of gas, dark dust bands, bright pink star-forming regions and, most obviously, the long, glowing bar with trailing arms," the space agency said.
Barred spiral galaxies outnumber both regular spirals and elliptical galaxies, accounting for around 60% of all galaxies, according to NASA. The visible bar structure results from the orbits of stars and gas in the galaxy lining up, forming a dense region that individual stars move in and out of over time.
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"Beyond the bar, the spiral arms of NGC 4731 stretch out far past the confines of this close-in Hubble view," the ESA adds.
Astronomers believe that the galaxy's long arms are due to gravitational interactions with other nearby galaxies in the Virgo cluster.