Astronomers can now see various galaxies from nearly every lofty perch, thanks to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. NASA has revealed a stunning image of the ‘Sombrero’ galaxy captured by the Hubble space telescope.
“Set against a speckled backdrop of more remote galaxies, the Little Sombrero features a bright central bulge, a thin disk full of dust, and a glowing halo of gas and stars that sprawls out into space,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“The dusty spiral is named after the grander-appearing Sombrero galaxy, which resembles a broad-brimmed Mexican hat.”
The Sombrero has several names, including Little Sombrero, NGC 7814, and Caldwell 43. NGC 7814 exhibited a bright inner bulge and a halo of luminous gas that spread out into space, NASA said in a blog post a few years ago. Dark streaks appeared as dusty spiral arms. They were made of a dusty substance that absorbed light from the galactic centre and obstructed it.
Astronomers thought Sombrero was a disc of dazzling gas surrounded by nascent stars in the nineteenth century. However, in 1912, astronomer V.M. Slipher found a hat-like object moving away at 700 miles per second, which could be a galaxy. Those were the only hints concerning the Sombrero galaxy, and it is expanding in all directions.
Hubble is outfitted with a ‘Fine Guidance Sensor’ and a ‘Pointing Control System’ that directs Hubble in the appropriate direction.
Hubble’s findings on galaxies and stars have assisted scientists in estimating the age of the universe and how planets and galaxies formed. Moreover, the telescope has also discovered black holes and played an important part in discovering dark energy, a mysterious element that drives the universe to expand.
Furthermore, the Hubble space telescope has aided scientists in studying the atmospheres of planets around stars.