Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope (NASA/ESA) took an amazing photo of the irregular spiral galaxy NGC 5486. The stars of the irregular galaxy shine in different colors in this image.
NGC 5486 lies about 110 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.
“Constellations are not only patterns of bright stars, but also a system that astronomers use to divide the sky into regions,” the astronomers said in a statement.
There are a total of 88 such regions, and each has a constellation associated with it, depicting a mythological figure, an animal, or even a piece of scientific equipment. This strange celestial menagerie has everything from a big bear to a toucan, a sea monster, a telescope and even an artist’s easel.
NGC 5486 was discovered by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on April 14, 1789.
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Also known as IRAS 14056+5520, LEDA 50383, TC 537, and UGC 9036, it is classified as an irregular spiral galaxy.
NGC 5486 is part of the NGC 5485 (LGG 373) group of at least 8 spiral and lenticular galaxies.
“The thin disk of NGC 5486 is pierced by pink wisps of star-forming regions that stand out against the diffuse glow of the galaxy’s bright core,” the astronomers said.
Although this particular galaxy has fuzzy twisting spiral arms, it sits next to the much larger Pinwheel Galaxy, one of the best-known examples of grand design spiral galaxies with prominent and well-defined spiral arms.
In 2006, Hubble took a picture of the Pinwheel Galaxy, which at the time was the largest and most detailed photograph of a spiral galaxy ever taken with a space telescope.
A color image of NGC 5486 was created from separate exposures taken in the visible and near infrared regions of the spectrum using the Hubble Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. The color is obtained by assigning different shades to each monochrome image associated with a particular filter.
In 2004, NGC 5486 experienced a supernova explosion, and astronomers used the keen vision of Hubble’s ACS instrument to study the aftermath in hopes of learning more about these explosive events.
