Hubble Spots Young Stars in 'Lost Galaxy' of Virgo
A stunning image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has shed new light on a distant galaxy known as NGC 4535, dubbed the "Lost Galaxy" due to its faint appearance through small telescopes. Located approximately 50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, this spiral galaxy is now revealing its hidden secrets thanks to Hubble's exceptional capabilities.
The latest image features vibrant young star clusters scattered across the galaxy's sweeping spiral arms, each accompanied by glowing-pink H II clouds that surround and illuminate these starry groupings. These intense radiation sources signal the presence of extremely hot and massive stars, which create powerful stellar winds as they heat up their surrounding birth clouds. This process ultimately leads to supernovae explosions.
The newly released image is part of a comprehensive observing program aimed at cataloging around 50,000 H II regions in nearby star-forming galaxies like NGC 4535. The data used for this latest release also draws from the PHANGS (Physics and Chemistry of Pulsars, High Energy Supernovae, and their Astrophysical Origins) observing program, which seeks to understand the intricate relationships between young stars and cold gas.
Hubble's exceptional mirror – spanning nearly eight feet across – allows it to observe faint galaxies like NGC 4535 with unparalleled clarity. The addition of this latest image brings new insights into our understanding of NGC 4535, revealing a previously unseen dimension in the brilliant red glow surrounding massive stars during their first few million years of life.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; F. Belfiore, J. Lee, and the PHANGS-HST Team
A stunning image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has shed new light on a distant galaxy known as NGC 4535, dubbed the "Lost Galaxy" due to its faint appearance through small telescopes. Located approximately 50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, this spiral galaxy is now revealing its hidden secrets thanks to Hubble's exceptional capabilities.
The latest image features vibrant young star clusters scattered across the galaxy's sweeping spiral arms, each accompanied by glowing-pink H II clouds that surround and illuminate these starry groupings. These intense radiation sources signal the presence of extremely hot and massive stars, which create powerful stellar winds as they heat up their surrounding birth clouds. This process ultimately leads to supernovae explosions.
The newly released image is part of a comprehensive observing program aimed at cataloging around 50,000 H II regions in nearby star-forming galaxies like NGC 4535. The data used for this latest release also draws from the PHANGS (Physics and Chemistry of Pulsars, High Energy Supernovae, and their Astrophysical Origins) observing program, which seeks to understand the intricate relationships between young stars and cold gas.
Hubble's exceptional mirror – spanning nearly eight feet across – allows it to observe faint galaxies like NGC 4535 with unparalleled clarity. The addition of this latest image brings new insights into our understanding of NGC 4535, revealing a previously unseen dimension in the brilliant red glow surrounding massive stars during their first few million years of life.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; F. Belfiore, J. Lee, and the PHANGS-HST Team
back in 1990 it was like a big deal you know? people were all excited about space again after that whole VHS era 
anyway NGC 4535 is just mind blowing like who knew there was so much action goin on out there in the cosmos?? those young stars are just gettin lit 
and I love how Hubble's got the magic touch to spot 'em even when they're all faint and stuff 
it's like the galaxy's own personal spotlight shining bright on those stellar winds and supernovae explosions 
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I'm like literally blown away by this new image from Hubble! It's so cool to see a galaxy that was hard to spot before now be all lit up with these young stars and pink clouds... it's like a cosmic dance party 
. And can you believe how far away it is - 50 million light-years?! That's mind-blowing. I love how scientists are working together to study this and learn more about the birth of new stars and supernovae... it's so fascinating 
. I just wish I could see this in person at a museum or something, but I guess that's not possible for now 
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. The young star clusters and those pink H II clouds are just mind-blowing - can you imagine being an astronaut looking at this for the first time? 
The way these massive stars create stellar winds and supernovae is so cool, it's like a cosmic fireworks display 
.
i mean 50 mil light yrs away and yet we can see these young stars and h ii clouds in such detail? it's like the universe decided to show off its beauty for us 
what's up with these h ii clouds tho, are they like giant balloons of gas floating around the stars or something? 
and supernovae explosions are so intense 
It's like we're seeing NGC 4535 for the first time 
those young stars & pink clouds 
are giving me LIFE!!! 
, that's some crazy chemistry 
? Mind. Blown 
what's not to love? 
And did you know that these star clusters are basically just massive balls of fire, radiating heat and energy everywhere? 
I love how scientists are still using the PHANGS program to study this galaxy – it's so cool that we get to learn more about these amazing celestial bodies. 