Spiral Galaxy NGC 4414: Revisiting an Old Beauty | Hubble Space Telescope
The image features Hubble data from 1995 and 1999 that was captured as part of the telescope’s primary missions to determine the distance between galaxies. This was achieved as part of an ongoing research effort to study Cepheid variable stars. Cepheids are a special type of variable star with very stable and predictable brightness variations. The period of these variations depends on physical properties of the stars, such as their mass and true brightness. This means that astronomers, just by looking at the variability of their light, can determine the Cepheids' physical nature. This then can be used very effectively to determine their distance. This is why cosmologists call Cepheids 'standard candles'.
Astronomers have used Hubble to observe Cepheids, like those that reside in NGC 4414, with extraordinary results. The Cepheids have then been used as stepping-stones to make distance measurements for supernovae that can provide a measure for the scale of the Universe. Today, we know the age of the Universe to a much higher precision than before, thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope—around 13.7 billion years.
Image Description: A large spiral galaxy is seen tilted diagonally. The arms of the galaxy’s disc are speckled with glowing patches; some are blue in color, others are pink, showing gas illuminated by new stars. A faint glow surrounds the galaxy, which lies on a dark, nearly empty background. The galaxy's center glows in white.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, O. Graur, S. W. Jha, A. Filippenko
Release Date: October 28, 2024
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