Astronomers working with the Hubble Telescope have published a new image. It shows a galaxy that he has photographed repeatedly over the past few years.
The galaxy captured in the Hubble image is called NGC 3370. It is located 90 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Leo. Like the Milky Way, NGC 3370 is a spiral galaxy. It is slightly smaller than our galaxy, and its core is not very pronounced.
Over the past 20 years, Hubble has photographed NGC 3370 several times. What makes this galaxy such a popular target for researchers? The fact is that NGC 3370 is home to two types of objects that astronomers value for their usefulness in determining distances: variable stars called Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae.
A key feature of Cepheid variable stars is that they change both in size and temperature as they pulsate. As a result, the luminosity of these stars varies over a period ranging from several days to several months. This occurs in such a way that it reveals an important feature: the brighter the Cepheid, the slower it pulsates. By measuring how long it takes for one cycle of brightness change, astronomers can determine how bright it actually is. Combined with information about how bright the star appears from Earth, this provides a way to determine the distance to it and to the galaxy.
In turn, Type Ia supernovae are formed as a result of white dwarf explosions that occur when they exceed their theoretical maximum mass limit. Their distinctive feature is that the same amount of energy is released during their formation. This allows them to be used as standard candles to determine distances to galaxies and calculate the expansion rate of the universe.
The previous image of NGC 3370, taken with the Hubble Telescope, was published in 2003. The new photo shows an enlarged fragment with rich detail, including wavelengths of light that were not included in the previous version. NGC 3370 is part of a group of galaxies of the same name, which includes several other objects previously photographed by Hubble.
Earlier, we reported on how Hubble photographed a galaxy with a starbursting ring.
According to Esahubble
