Hubble telescope spots galaxy 30 million light-years from Earth

WASHINGTON: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed that the Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a peculiar galaxy dubbed the Spider Galaxy on Friday.

The galaxy is located approximately 30 million light-years away from Earth.

The newly-discovered cosmic entity is also known as UGC 5829. The irregular galaxy earned its moniker due to its distinctive appearance resembling a spider. Its twisted ‘arms’ have glowing tips where new stars are forming, giving it an appearance similar to the legs of an arachnid.

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The detection of the Spider Galaxy was facilitated by two separate observation projects conducted with the Hubble Telescope. The first initiative utilised the “Advanced Camera for Surveys” to study neighbouring galaxies, aiming to create diagrams showing the colours and brightness of stars.

Each observation session lasted around 95 minutes. This provided ample time to capture and study the different galaxies and other celestial objects quietly floating in space.

The second project utilised Hubble’s “Wide Field Camera 3” to examine star clusters in small galaxies, employing its ultraviolet capabilities and high-resolution imaging to gain deeper insights into how stars form in these settings.

The telescope’s images unveiled distinct areas within the Spider Galaxy where stars are actively forming, depicted as vibrant pink clouds in the images shared by NASA.