NASA has shared interesting photos that display three different galaxies. And with that, the space agency also explains how this galaxy does not let “the label defines it”. Confused? Let’s unload. On June 13, NASA posted a three-galaxy photo – one right in the middle and the other two visible on the right and the bottom of the image. The photo was captured by a wide field camera 3 Hubble NASA telescope. Now, let’s understand what makes this galaxy unique. In the Instagram post, the agency said that the galaxy described in the middle was “difficult to classify” and the reason was very interesting.
Although sometimes classified as a spiral galaxy, similar to our own Milky Way, is also sometimes classified as a lenticular galaxy, “said the agency.” Lenticular galaxies are types of galaxies sitting between spiral and elliptical varieties. “Now, it makes it more complex, right?
But this is a simpler way to see it. NASA said the galaxy grew like we did. “While the spiral arm of this galaxy can be distinguished, they are not clearly defined. Described here, the tip of one arm seems to be distributed,” he said.
Galaxies are not static, and their morphology (and hence their classification) varies throughout their lives, NASA said in a separate note published on its website.
“Spiral galaxies are considered to be ellipse. It can happen by joining each other, causing them to lose their typical spiral structure,” NASA further said in the Instagram post, explaining how the galaxy changed their composition.
Agency said that the Spiral Galaxy NGC 4680 was flanked by two other galaxies as we explained above. Interestingly, NGC 4680 enjoyed the wave of attention in 1997, playing the host for a supernova explosion known as SN 1997bp, said NASA.
NASA shared the same image on Twitter too and the user wondered if the space agency passed by the idea of sending its astronaut to one of these galaxies.
The Hubble telescope, which captured the image, was launched in 1990 as a collaboration project between NASA and the European Space Agency. The telescope has a view of the universe that is not blocked.