A pair of sparkling galaxies shine in this Hubble image

By Georgina Torbet July 11, 2021

Two enormous galaxies shine. The galaxy on the left is a lenticular galaxy, named 2MASX J03193743+4137580. The side-on spiral galaxy on the right is named UGC 2665. — Two enormous galaxies capture your attention in this spectacular image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The galaxy on the left is a lenticular galaxy, named 2MASX J03193743+4137580. The side-on spiral galaxy on the right is more simply named UGC 2665. Both galaxies lie approximately 350 million light-years from Earth, and they both form part of the huge Perseus galaxy cluster. ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Harris; Acknowledgment: L. Shatz

This week’s beautiful image of space captured by the Hubble Space Telescope shows two large galaxies, part of the Perseus cluster, against a background starfield. The galaxies are 2MASX J03193743+4137580, shown on the left of the image, and UGC 2665, shown on the right.

The Perseus cluster is enormous, containing thousands of galaxies and being one of the most massive objects in the known universe. It also gives off large quantities of X-rays, making it the brightest cluster in the sky when observed in the X-ray wavelength. X-ray data from this cluster was also important in the development of theories of dark matter.

If you are wondering where the name for the cluster comes from, like many astronomical objects, it is named after a mythological figure. “Perseus is an important figure in Greek mythology, renowned for slaying Medusa the Gorgon — who is herself famous for the unhappy reason that she was cursed to have living snakes for hair,” the Hubble scientists write. “Given Perseus’s impressive credentials, it seems appropriate that the galaxy cluster is one of the biggest objects in the known universe, consisting of thousands of galaxies, only a few of which are visible in this image. The wonderful detail in the image is thanks to the WFC3’s powerful resolution and sensitivity to both visible and near-infrared light, the wavelengths captured in this image.”

Hubble itself is currently experiencing problems with its computer, which means its scientific instruments are not currently collecting data. However, engineers on the ground are planning to switch from the current hardware to backup hardware included in the telescope in the hopes of fixing the issue. In the meantime, researchers have previously collected data like this image to study.

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Georgina Torbet

Space Writer

Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…

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