Nearby Irregular Galaxy NGC 6822 in Sagittarius | Euclid Space Telescope

Nearby Irregular Galaxy NGC 6822 in Sagittarius | Euclid Space Telescope

To create a 3D map of the Universe,  the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope will observe the light from galaxies out to 10 billion light-years. Most galaxies in the early Universe do not look like the quintessential neat spiral, but are irregular and small. They are the building blocks for bigger galaxies like our own, and we can still find some of these galaxies relatively close to us. This first irregular dwarf galaxy that Euclid observed is called NGC 6822 and is located close by, just 1.6 million light-years from Earth. 

Also known as Barnard’s Galaxy, NGC 6822 is one of the Milky Way’s galactic neighbors. This dwarf galaxy has no shortage of stellar splendor and pyrotechnics. Reddish nebulae in this image reveal regions of active star formation, wherein young, hot stars heat up nearby gas clouds. Also prominent in this image are striking bubble-shaped nebulae. At each nebula’s center, a clutch of massive, scorching stars send waves of matter smashing into surrounding interstellar material, generating a glowing structure that appears ring-like from our perspective. Other similar ripples of heated matter thrown out by feisty young stars are dotted across Barnard’s Galaxy.

Image Description: This square astronomical image is speckled with numerous stars visible across the black expanse of space. Most stars are visible only as pinpoints. More stars are crowding the center of the image, visible as an irregular round shape. This is an irregular galaxy. The center of the galaxy appears whiter and the edges yellower. Several pink bubbles are visible spread throughout the galaxy, these are star forming regions. The stars across the entire image range in color from blue to white to yellow/red, across a black background of space. Blue stars are younger and red stars are older. A few of the stars are a bit larger than the rest, with six diffraction spikes.

Image Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA 

Image Processing: J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Release Date: Nov. 7, 2023

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