A close galactic pair
This image displays the galaxies NGC 4302 — seen edge-on — and NGC 4298, both located 55 million light-years away. They were observed by Hubble to celebrate its 27th year in orbit.
The galaxy NGC 4298 is seen almost face-on, allowing us to see its spiral arms and the blue patches of ongoing star formation and young stars. In the edge-on disc of NGC 4302 huge swathes of dust are responsible for the mottled brown patterns, but a burst of blue to the left side of the galaxy indicates a region of extremely vigorous star formation.
The image is a mosaic of four separate captures from Hubble, taken between 2 and 22 January 2017, that have been stitched together to give this amazing field of view. Two different types of light emitted by the galaxies — visible and near-infrared — have been combined to give a rich and colourful image. This light was captured by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3, one of the telescope’s most advanced imaging instruments.
Credit:NASA, ESA, and M. Mutchler (STScI)
About the Image
Id: | heic1709a |
Type: | Observation |
Release date: | 20 April 2017, 16:00 |
Related releases: | heic1709 |
Size: | 7345 x 7853 px |
About the Object
Name: | NGC 4298, NGC 4302 |
Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Interacting |
Distance: | 55 million light years |
Constellation: | Coma Berenices |
Category: | Anniversary Galaxies |
Image Formats
Wallpapers
Coordinates
Position (RA): | 12 21 38.05 |
Position (Dec): | 14° 35' 47.67" |
Field of view: | 4.91 x 5.25 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 9.7° left of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical B | 475 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
Optical V | 555 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
Optical R | 625 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |