\n<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s ESA\/Hubble\u00a0Picture of the Week\u00a0features the\u00a0spiral galaxy\u00a0NGC 4535, which is situated about 50 million light-years away in the constellation\u00a0Virgo\u00a0(The Maiden). This galaxy has been nicknamed the \u2018Lost Galaxy\u2019 because it\u2019s extremely faint when viewed through a small telescope. With a mirror spanning 2.4 metres across, Hubble is well equipped to observe dim galaxies like NGC 4535 and pick out features like its massive spiral arms and central bar of\u00a0stars.<\/p>\n
On full display in this Hubble image are NGC 4535\u2019s young star clusters, which dot the galaxy\u2019s spiral arms. Many of the groupings of bright blue stars are enclosed by glowing pink clouds. These clouds, called H II (\u2018H-two\u2019) regions, are a sign that the galaxy is home to especially young, hot, and massive stars that are blazing with high-energy radiation. By heating the clouds in which they were born, shooting out powerful\u00a0stellar winds, and eventually exploding as\u00a0supernovae, massive stars certainly shake up their surroundings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This Hubble image incorporates data from an observing programme that will catalogue roughly 50 000 H II regions in nearby star-forming galaxies like NGC 4535. A previous image of NGC 4535 was released in\u00a02021. Both the 2021 image and today\u2019s image incorporate observations from the\u00a0PHANGS\u00a0programme, which seeks to understand the connections between young stars and cold gas. Today\u2019s image adds a new dimension to our understanding of NGC 4535 by capturing the brilliant red glow of the\u00a0nebulae\u00a0that encircle massive stars in their first few million years of life.<\/p>\n
[Image Description:<\/i>\u00a0A close-in view of a spiral galaxy that faces the viewer. Brightly lit spiral arms swing outwards through the galaxy\u2019s disc, starting from an elliptical region in the centre. Thick strands of dark reddish dust are spread across the disc, mostly following the spiral arms. The arms also contain many glowing pink-red spots where stars form. The galaxy is a bit fainter beyond the arms, but speckled with blue stars.]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n