The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures the highly irregular galaxy ESO 174-1 in an image that showcases a lonesome, hazy cloud contrasted against the brilliance of surrounding stars. Located approximately 11 million light-years away from Earth, ESO 174-1 consists of a bright cluster of stars intertwined with a faint, winding tendril of dark gas and dust.
This particular image is part of a comprehensive collection of Hubble observations aimed at deepening our understanding of neighboring galaxies. The goal is to analyze the brightest stars and fundamental characteristics of all known galaxies within a distance of 10 megaparsecs. A parsec is an astronomical unit used to measure vast distances, and 10 megaparsecs translates to 32 million light-years, making it easier for astronomers to comprehend such immense spatial dimensions. For instance, Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the sun, is approximately 1.3 parsecs away. In more relatable terms, this equates to an astonishing 25 trillion miles (40 trillion km).
To utilize the limited Hubble observation time efficiently, this program to study neighboring galaxies was designed to occupy the 2%–3% of available time between other observations. Instead of consecutively observing objects located in different regions of the sky, fill-in observing programs like the one capturing ESO 174-1 help bridge the gaps between primary observations. This allows the telescope to smoothly transition from one observation to another while gathering valuable data. By maximizing every last minute of Hubble’s observing time, these fill-in observing programs ensure optimal utilization of the telescope’s capabilities.
Citation: Hubble checks in on highly irregular galaxy ESO 174-1 (2023, June 30) retrieved 1 July 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-06-hubble-highly-irregular-galaxy-eso.html
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