Spiral Galaxy NGC 1637 in Eridanus : Signs of the Stellar Lifecycle | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1637 in Eridanus : Signs of the Stellar Lifecycle | Hubble

The subject of this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture is NGC 1637, a spiral galaxy located 38 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus.

This image comes from an observing program dedicated to studying star formation in nearby galaxies. Stars form in cold, dusty gas clouds that collapse under their own gravity. As young stars grow, they heat their nurseries through starlight, winds, and powerful outflows. Together, these factors play a role in controlling the rate at which future generations of stars form. 

Evidence of star formation is scattered all around NGC 1637, if you know where to look. The galaxy’s spiral arms are dotted with what appear to be pink clouds, many of which are accompanied by bright blue stars. The pinkish color comes from hydrogen atoms that have been excited by ultraviolet light from young, massive stars. This contrasts with the warm yellow glow of the galaxy’s center that is home to a densely packed collection of older, redder stars. 

The stars that set their birthplaces aglow are comparatively short-lived, and many of these stars will explode as supernovae just a few million years after they are born. In 1999, NGC 1637 played host to a supernova, pithily named SN 1999EM, that was lauded as the brightest supernova seen that year. When a massive star expires as a supernova, the explosion outshines its entire home galaxy for a short time. While a supernova marks the end of a star’s life, it can also jump start the formation of new stars by compressing nearby clouds of gas, beginning the stellar lifecycle anew.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy filling the view. Its disc is filled with bright red spots where stars are forming, dark reddish threads of dust that obscure light, and bluish glowing areas where older stars are concentrated. It has a large, glowing yellow oval area at the center, along with two spiral arms that wind through the galaxy’s disc. The bottom side of the disc is rounded while the top side is squared-off to a degree.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker
Release Date: Dec. 2, 2024

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