This galaxy, Messier 90, appears blue because it’s traveling toward us

By Georgina Torbet Published May 26, 2019

Messier 90, a beautiful spiral galaxy located roughly 60 million light-years from the Milky Way in the constellation of Virgo (The Virgin). The black boxes in the top left are the result of the configuration of the sensors in the camera. ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Sargent et al.

A new Hubble image has been released showing Messier 90, 60 million light-years away in the Virgo Cluster. It is located in the constellation of Virgo (The Virgin), which is part of the Virgo Supercluster which includes our galaxy.

Recommended Videos

An unusual feature of Messier 90 is that it is traveling towards the Milky Way, not away from it. Most galaxies are traveling apart due to the expansion of the universe, so other galaxies appear to be moving away from us. But Messier 90 is heading in our direction; a rare example of bucking the galactic trend.

We know that Messier 90 is traveling towards us because of the way its light appears. When galaxies are traveling away from us, the wavelengths of light they produce is stretched, making the light appear more towards the red end of the spectrum in a process called the Doppler effect. This means most galaxies give off light which is redshifted. But in the case of Messier 90, the light we detect from it is shifted towards the blue end of the spectrum, or blueshifted. That means light waves are being compressed as the galaxy comes closer to us.

Astronomers believe the galaxy is currently traveling towards us due to the huge mass of the Virgo Cluster, which pulls smaller galaxies into eccentric orbits which travel sometimes closer to us and sometimes further away.

This image of Messier 90 was created from a wide range of light wavelengths, including infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light. The data was gathered by Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) which captured images from Hubble between 1994 and 2010.

The reason this image has a black section in the top left corner is to do with how the WFPC2 worked. The camera consisted of four light detectors, each trained on a slightly different area of space with some small overlap between them. There were three wide-field sensors in an L-shape and a smaller, higher resolution sensor in the remaining corner. As the higher resolution camera captured images at a greater magnification, the image it produced had to be scaled down in order to fit with the other three images. The result is images like the one above, with a chunk missing from the top corner.

The WFPC2 has since been superseded by the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) which captures full images over a wide range of wavelengths.

Georgina Torbet

Space Writer

Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…

Topics

Entertainment

Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts

Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Cars

Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?

jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii 4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Entertainment

Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode

Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.