Hubble Space Telescope image of the barred spiral galaxy IC 486. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth)
The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a spiral galaxy swirling through the darkness of space, emanating an otherworldly glow through its cosmic, branching arms.
What is it?
A new image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 in all its glory.
This galaxy is located about 380 million light-years from Earth, just to the left of the constellation Gemini.
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IC 486 is a barred spiral galaxy, which means that it is a spiral galaxy — or a galaxy with a spiraling disk with “arms” that extend from its center — with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. These bars are seen in about two thirds of all spiral galaxies we’ve observed.
Why is it incredible?
The incredible nature of this image speaks for itself. The soft, gossamer glow of the spiral galaxy seems straight out of science fiction, but it is even more amazing to know that it is a real image of a real, massive galaxy far out in the cosmos.
But beyond its beauty, this image holds a multitude of scientific wonders. Highlighted at the center of the galaxy by a bright white glow, for instance, is IC 486’s active galactic nucleus (AGN), the center of the galaxy and an active supermassive black hole.