Hubble Snaps Spectacular Photo of Spiral Galaxy UGC 12591
The Hubble Space Telescope has just released an incredible image of a spiral galaxy called UGC 2885, located in the constellation of Perseus. The image shows the galaxy in all its detail, with its winding spiral arms and bright core. The galaxy is one of the largest ever observed by Hubble, measuring an impressive 300,000 light years across. This makes it nearly twice as wide as our own Milky Way galaxy, and about three times more massive. The image was captured with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, which is used to observe galaxies in the visible and near-infrared spectrum. This allows astronomers to study the structure and composition of galaxies in greater detail. UGC 2885 is an example of a barred spiral galaxy, with a bright bar of stars running through its centre. This is thought to be due to the gravitational pull of the galaxy’s central black hole, which is believed to be around 30 million times more massive than our Sun. The image also reveals a number of star-forming regions near the galaxy’s arms, where new stars are being born. This makes UGC 2885 an exciting target for future studies, helping us to better understand how galaxies evolve over time.
source: Phys.org