Dwarf Galaxy NGC 5253: Channeling Light from Starbursts | Hubble

Dwarf Galaxy NGC 5253: Channeling Light from Starbursts | Hubble

This Hubble picture shows the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 5253, located in the constellation Centaurus around 11 million light-years from Earth. The new image combines data taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), using its Wide Field Channel, and with the older Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). 

Dwarf galaxies are considered important for understanding the evolution of stars and galaxies through time, since they resemble ancient, distant galaxies. NGC 5253 is called both a “starburst galaxy” and a “blue compact dwarf”. These names mean it is forming clusters of bright, massive stars at an exceptional rate. This Hubble image clearly shows the dense nebula which is being consumed to birth these stars. It makes NGC 5253 a laboratory for investigating stellar composition, star formation, and star clusters.

A tremendously high rate of star formation is a recipe for star clusters, but NGC 5253 goes beyond that. In a small region of the core, the star formation is so intense that the galaxy contains no less than three “super star clusters” (SSCs). SSCs are very bright, populous and massive open clusters. They are believed to evolve into globular clusters. Globular clusters themselves offer unique insights into how stars form and evolve, but their origins are poorly understood.

Image Description: An oval-shaped galaxy, made up of many point-like stars. It is softly lit from the center, brightest and slightly blue at the very center and fading to darkness at the edges. Surrounding the galaxy’s core are reddish clouds of gas and dust, most around or behind the core, but a few wisps are in front of it and block some light. Faraway galaxies and two foreground stars can be seen around the galaxy.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Zezas, D. Calzetti

Release Date: June 24, 2024

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