Spiral Galaxy UGC 2885

Spiral Galaxy UGC 2885

This Hubble Space Telescope photograph showcases the majestic spiral galaxy UGC 2885, located 232 million light-years away in the northern constellation Perseus. The galaxy is 2.5 times wider than our Milky Way and contains 10 times as many stars. A number of foreground stars in our Milky Way can be seen in the image, identified by their diffraction spikes. The brightest star photobombs the galaxy's disk. The galaxy has been nicknamed "Rubin's galaxy," after astronomer Vera Rubin (1928 – 2016), who studied the galaxy's rotation rate in search of dark matter.

Credits

Image

NASA, ESA, Benne Holwerda (University of Louisville)

About The Object
Object Name UGC 2885
Object Description Large Spiral Galaxy
R.A. Position 03:53:02.46
Dec. Position +35:35:22.17
Constellation Perseus
Distance 232 million light-years
Dimensions Image is 5 arcmin across (about 338,000 light-years).
About The Data
Data Description The HST observations include those from program (B. Holwerda).
Instrument WFC3/UVIS
Exposure Dates Dec 2017 - Jan 2019
Filters F435W, F606W, F814W
About The Image
Color Info These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F435W Green: F606W Red: F814W
Compass Image Slightly oblique view of a spiral galaxy with a glowing yellow central core and two spiral arms that wind clockwise from the center. The arms consist of dark reddish-brown dust trails that are vein-like and hazy clouds of blue stars. The outer regions of the galaxy appear bluer, with bright clusters of blue stars sparsely lining the outer edges of the spiral arms. There are a few foreground stars that have bright white or blue cores with colorful fuzzy halos and four diffraction spikes radiating from their centers. Scattered across the dark background are thousands of faint objects that vary in size, shape, and color. Most appear as small dots, ovals, or lines in different shades of orange, red, and blue.
About The Object
Object Name A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
Object Description The type of astronomical object.
R.A. Position Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
Dec. Position Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
Constellation One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
Distance The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
Dimensions The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
About The Data
Data Description
  • Proposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
  • Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
Instrument The science instrument used to produce the data.
Exposure Dates The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
Filters The camera filters that were used in the science observations.
About The Image
Image Credit The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content.
Publication Date The date and time the release content became public.
Color Info A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.
Orientation The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere.

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