Stellar explosions are messy affairs, so two consecutive supernovas in the identical galaxy are sure to depart a mark.
That’s the story behind a dramatic new Hubble Space Telescope picture of a galaxy referred to as NGC 6984 that the European Space Agency (ESA), which helps function the observatory, launched on Monday (Nov. 1). The picture gives an entrancing view of the galaxy’s swirling arms, stuffed with stars and star-forming areas.
The launch would not specify when the brand new information was captured however notes that the observations got here after astronomers seen an exceedingly uncommon double supernova within the galaxy. A supernova happens when a comparatively giant star runs out of gasoline and explodes, flinging materials throughout the neighborhood.
Related: The best Hubble Space Telescope images of all time!
“The discovery of two supernovas at virtually the same time and location (in astronomical terms) prompted speculation from astronomers that the two supernovas may somehow be physically linked,” ESA officers wrote within the statement.
So the astronomers enlisted Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to watch the galaxy in ultraviolet and visual gentle to look at the unusual coincidence.
Galaxy NGC 6984 is situated within the constellation Indus and lies about 200 million light-years away from Earth, in accordance with the assertion.
Hubble beforehand noticed the galaxy in 2013, ESA famous, so the brand new observations may also be paired with archival information. The newly launched picture represents the mix of previous and new information.
Despite the recent picture, Hubble is at the moment unable to watch something; the telescope’s science devices went into safe mode on Oct. 25 and personnel are troubleshooting the incident.
“Science observations have been temporarily suspended while the team investigates the issue,” the Hubble team tweeted the day of the anomaly. “The instruments remain in good health.”
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or comply with her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
