LONDON: A stunning image by the powerful Hubble space telescope has captured a little-known galaxy, which looks very much like our Milky Way. Dubbed LEDA 89996, it has a spiral structure that is clearly seen in the picture.
The galaxy “most often referred to as LEDA 89996 is a classic example of a spiral galaxy,” says the NASA press release. “The galaxy is much like our own galaxy, the Milky Way.”
NASA calls LEDA 89996 a “disk-shaped galaxy” as it reveals “the winding structure of the spiral arms.”
“Dark patches in these spiral arms are in fact dust and gas — the raw materials for new stars. The many young stars that form in these regions make the spiral arms appear bright and bluish.”
The agency says that observations were made with the help of the “high resolution channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.”
According to Hubble estimates, the galaxy is located “in a vibrant area of the night sky” within the Dorado constellation notable for having a southern ecliptic pole. LEDA 89996 also appears very close to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy and a satellite of the Milky Way.
Launched on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Telescope is 13.3 m long, weighs 10,886 kg, and is 4.2 m in diameter. It has traveled a total of 3 billion miles (at a speed of 17,000 mph) along a low Earth orbit, at an altitude of around 340 miles, according to NASA.
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