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Today\u2019s NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope\u00a0Picture of the Week\u00a0offers a closeup of a nearby\u00a0spiral galaxy. The subject is NGC 2835, which lies 35 million light-years away in the constellation\u00a0Hydra\u00a0(The Water Snake).<\/p>\n
A previous Hubble image of this galaxy was\u00a0released in 2020, and the NASA\/ESA\/CSA\u00a0James Webb Space Telescope\u00a0turned its gaze toward NGC 2835\u00a0in recent years\u00a0as well. Do you see anything different between today\u2019s image of NGC 2835 and the previously released versions? Overall, NGC 2835 looks quite similar in all of these images, with spiral arms dotted with young blue stars sweeping around an oval-shaped centre, where older stars reside.<\/p>\n
This image differs from previously released images because it incorporates new data from Hubble that captures a specific\u00a0wavelength\u00a0of red light called H-alpha. The regions that are bright in H-alpha emission can be seen along NGC 2835\u2019s spiral arms, where dozens of bright pink\u00a0nebulae\u00a0appear like flowers in bloom. Astronomers are interested in H-alpha light because it signals the presence of several different types of nebulae that arise during different stages of a star\u2019s life. Newborn massive stars create nebulae called H II regions that are particularly brilliant sources of H-alpha light, while dying stars can leave behind\u00a0supernova\u00a0remnants or\u00a0planetary nebulae\u00a0that can also be identified by their H-alpha emission.<\/p>\n
By using Hubble\u2019s sensitive instruments to survey 19 nearby galaxies, researchers aim to identify more than 50 000 nebulae. These observations will help to explain how stars affect their birth neighbourhoods through intense starlight and winds.<\/p>\n
[Image Description:<\/i>\u00a0A spiral galaxy seen face-on. Its centre is a bright glowing yellow. The galaxy\u2019s spiral arms contain sparkling blue stars, pink spots of star formation, and dark threads of dust that follow the arms.]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n