Hubble telescope spots stunning ‘Hidden Galaxy’ hiding behind our own Milky Way
By Elizabeth Howell published about 21 hours ago
If it weren’t for all the interstellar matter in the way, IC 342 would be one of the brightest galaxies in the sky.
Behold the “Hidden Galaxy” coming into view.
This glorious Hubble Space Telescope image showcases spiral galaxy IC 342, also known as Caldwell 5. No matter what you call this galaxy, scientists have had some difficulty observing it due to obstacles in the way, earning it its “hidden” nickname, according to NASA.
“It appears near the equator of the Milky Way‘s pearly disk, which is crowded with thick cosmic gas, dark dust, and glowing stars that all obscure our view,” NASA wrote in a May 11 statement(opens in new tab).
Storyblok for Enterprise: Your enterprise-grade CMSstoryblokLearn More
Related: The best Hubble Space Telescope images of all time!
Hubble can peer through the debris, to an extent, as the telescope does have infrared capabilities. Infrared light is less scattered by dust and allows a clearer view of the galaxy in behind the interstellar matter.
“This sparkling, face-on view of the center of the galaxy displays intertwined tendrils of dust in spectacular arms that wrap around a brilliant core of hot gas and stars,” NASA wrote of the picture.
“This core is a specific type of region called an H II nucleus — an area of atomic hydrogen that has become ionized. Such regions are energetic birthplaces of stars where thousands of stars can form over a couple million years.”
Click here for more Space.com videos…
CLOSE
1 second of 15 secondsVolume 0%
PLAY SOUND
RELATED STORIES:
— The Hubble Space Telescope and 30 years that transformed our view of the universe
— See the first photos from the Hubble Space Telescope after a major computer malfunction
— Hubble captures a ‘Cosmic Reef’ in stunning 30th anniversary image
The blue stars ionize or energize the hydrogen surrounding their birthplaces due to emitting ultraviolet light, NASA said. The galaxy would be one of the brightest galaxies in our sky if there was not so much dust in the way.
IC 342 is also relatively close in galactic terms, only 11 million light-years from Earth. It’s about half the diameter of our own Milky Way (50,000 light-years across), making it relatively large, too.
Hubble has been in space for a generation and has photographed this galaxy several times before. You can also spot its imaging of IC 342 in 2017(opens in new tab) and 2010(opens in new tab).
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace(opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom(opens in new tab) or Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Contributing Writer
Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., is a contributing writer for Space.com(opens in new tab) since 2012. As a proud Trekkie and Canadian, she tackles topics like spaceflight, diversity, science fiction, astronomy and gaming to help others explore the universe. Elizabeth’s on-site reporting includes two human spaceflight launches from Kazakhstan, and embedded reporting from a simulated Mars mission in Utah. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc(opens in new tab). in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, and a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada’s Carleton University. Her latest book, NASA Leadership Moments, is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday.
MORE ABOUT…
LATEST
Advertisement
Hubble telescope spots stunning ‘Hidden Galaxy’ hiding behind our own Milky Way
By Elizabeth Howell published about 21 hours ago
If it weren’t for all the interstellar matter in the way, IC 342 would be one of the brightest galaxies in the sky.
Behold the “Hidden Galaxy” coming into view.
This glorious Hubble Space Telescope image showcases spiral galaxy IC 342, also known as Caldwell 5. No matter what you call this galaxy, scientists have had some difficulty observing it due to obstacles in the way, earning it its “hidden” nickname, according to NASA.
“It appears near the equator of the Milky Way‘s pearly disk, which is crowded with thick cosmic gas, dark dust, and glowing stars that all obscure our view,” NASA wrote in a May 11 statement(opens in new tab).
Storyblok for Enterprise: Your enterprise-grade CMSstoryblokLearn More
Related: The best Hubble Space Telescope images of all time!
Hubble can peer through the debris, to an extent, as the telescope does have infrared capabilities. Infrared light is less scattered by dust and allows a clearer view of the galaxy in behind the interstellar matter.
“This sparkling, face-on view of the center of the galaxy displays intertwined tendrils of dust in spectacular arms that wrap around a brilliant core of hot gas and stars,” NASA wrote of the picture.
“This core is a specific type of region called an H II nucleus — an area of atomic hydrogen that has become ionized. Such regions are energetic birthplaces of stars where thousands of stars can form over a couple million years.”
Click here for more Space.com videos…
CLOSE
1 second of 15 secondsVolume 0%
PLAY SOUND
RELATED STORIES:
— The Hubble Space Telescope and 30 years that transformed our view of the universe
— See the first photos from the Hubble Space Telescope after a major computer malfunction
— Hubble captures a ‘Cosmic Reef’ in stunning 30th anniversary image
The blue stars ionize or energize the hydrogen surrounding their birthplaces due to emitting ultraviolet light, NASA said. The galaxy would be one of the brightest galaxies in our sky if there was not so much dust in the way.
IC 342 is also relatively close in galactic terms, only 11 million light-years from Earth. It’s about half the diameter of our own Milky Way (50,000 light-years across), making it relatively large, too.
Hubble has been in space for a generation and has photographed this galaxy several times before. You can also spot its imaging of IC 342 in 2017(opens in new tab) and 2010(opens in new tab).
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace(opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom(opens in new tab) or Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Contributing Writer
Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., is a contributing writer for Space.com(opens in new tab) since 2012. As a proud Trekkie and Canadian, she tackles topics like spaceflight, diversity, science fiction, astronomy and gaming to help others explore the universe. Elizabeth’s on-site reporting includes two human spaceflight launches from Kazakhstan, and embedded reporting from a simulated Mars mission in Utah. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc(opens in new tab). in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, and a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada’s Carleton University. Her latest book, NASA Leadership Moments, is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday.
MORE ABOUT…
LATEST
Advertisement
