Hubble Space Telescope, a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) has provided a unique look at the spiral galaxy UGC 10043, located about 150 million light years away in the constellation Serpens. In contrast to the typical top-down perspective of galaxies, this image presents UGC 10043 in a side-on view, making its thin disk visible as a clearly defined line in space. Prominent dust lanes cover most of this disk, but areas of active star formation shine through the dark clouds, revealing the galaxy’s glowing structure.
Distinctive shape and unusual bulge structure
Image posted on NASA’s official website, highlighted UGC 10043 has a roughly egg-shaped “bulge” at its center, which rises well above and below the galactic disk. bumps are common spiral galaxiesThe galaxy has stars orbiting around the center, but the bulge in UGC 10043 appears unusually large compared to its disk.
This structure may have resulted from the galaxy’s interaction with a nearby dwarf galaxy, which would have changed its shape and contributed to its curved appearance at either end. Such distorted shapes are rare and add a unique quality to this galaxy structure.
Long-running Hubble observations increase detail
This composite image of UGC 10043, collected from multiple exposures taken in 2000 and 2023, underscores the longevity and continued usefulness of Hubble’s data. Capturing light in multiple wavelengths, the image allows a detailed look at the structure of the galaxy, with each wavelength adding information about different features of the galaxy.
Hubble’s long-term data storage has enabled astronomers to produce clearer and more informative images, expanding the scientific insights gained from previous observations.