2025年4月26日
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 5335
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
Explanation: This stunning portrait of NGC 5335 was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Some 170,000 light-years across and over 200 million light-years away toward the constellation Virgo, the magnificent spiral galaxy is seen face-on in Hubble’s view. Within the galactic disk, loose streamers of star forming regions lie along the galaxy’s flocculent spiral arms. But the most striking feature of NGC 5335 is its prominent central bar. Seen in about 30 percent of galaxies, including our Milky Way, bar structures are understood to channel material inward toward the galactic center, fueling star formation. Of course, distant background galaxies are easy to spot, scattered around the sharp Hubble image. Launched in 1990, Hubble is now celebrating its 35th year exploring the cosmos from orbit around planet Earth.
Tomorrow’s picture: spirographs in space
棒旋星系NGC 5335
影像提供: NASA, ESA, STScI
说明: 这幅令人赞叹的NGC 5335影像，是由哈勃太空望远镜所拍摄。影像里的这个壮丽、宽约170,000光年的正向螺旋星系，位于室女座方向约2亿光年远之处。在它的星系盘里，松散的丝缕状恒星形成区，分布在絮状的旋臂上。不过，NGC 5335最吸睛的特征，则是它鲜明的核心棒。包括我们的银河系在内，大约30%的星系拥有的这种棒状结构，据信会把物质引导至银系的中心，从而促进恒星形成。此外，在这幅清晰的哈伯望远镜影像里，轻易可辨的还有散布的遥远背景星系。发射于1990年的哈勃望远镜，目前正在欢庆它从地球轨道探索宇宙的第三十五周年。
明日的图片: spirographs in space
