Spiral Galaxy NGC 5668 in Virgo: A Star Performer | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 5668 in Virgo: A Star Performer | Hubble

The subject of this Hubble picture is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo named NGC 5668. It is relatively near to us at 90 million light-years from Earth and quite accessible for astronomers to study with both space- and ground-based telescopes. It does not initially appear to be a remarkable galaxy. It is around 90,000 light-years across, similar in size and mass to our own Milky Way galaxy, and its nearly face-on orientation shows open spiral arms made of cloudy, irregular patches.

A noticeable difference between the Milky Way galaxy and NGC 5668 is that this galaxy is forming new stars 60% more quickly. It has churning clouds and flows of gas that produce excellent conditions for star formation. Two main drivers of star formation have been identified by astronomers. First, this high-quality Hubble snapshot reveals a bar at the center; it might look more like a slight oval shape than a real bar, but it appears to have impacted the galaxy’s star formation rate, as central bars do in many spiral galaxies. Second, high-velocity clouds of hydrogen gas have been tracked moving vertically between the disc of the galaxy and the spherical, faint halo that surrounds it. These can be produced by strong stellar winds of hot, massive stars, and they contribute gas to new star-forming regions.

The enhanced star formation rate in NGC 5668 comes with a corresponding abundance of supernova explosions. Three have been spotted in this galaxy during 1952, 1954 and 2004. In this image, Hubble was used to examine the surroundings of the Type II SN 2004G, seeking to study the kinds of stars that end their lives as this kind of supernova.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen up close and face-on. It is colored yellow and glowing brightly at the oval-shaped center, showing older and cooler stars. It becomes bluer out to the edge of the disc where the stars are younger and hotter. It has a number of somewhat patchy spiral arms curling around, with sparkling areas where stars form. The black background can just be seen at the corners.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick

Release Date: Sept. 9, 2024

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