Ever wonder what an aging galaxy looks like? If so, then look no further than elliptical galaxy NGC 3384, as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. It’s located 35 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo.
Elliptical galaxies are known for their glow, rounded shape, and very few visible features. They also do not exhibit signs of recent star formation, but are rather dominated by old, aging, and red-hued stars. On the opposite end, spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way, possess significant populations of young, blue stars in spiral arms swirling around a bright core.
- PERFECT ENTRY-LEVEL TELESCOPE: The Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ is an easy-to-use and powerful telescope. This 127mm Newtonian Reflector offers enough...
- MANUAL GERMAN EQUATORIAL MOUNT: With its slow-motion altitude rod, the German Equatorial mount allows you to navigate the sky with ease. Find...
- COMPACT AND PORTABLE: The ideal telescope for adults and kids to use together, the PowerSeeker is compact, lightweight, and portable. Take it to your...
However, NGC 3384 also displays a hint of disc-like structure towards its center, in the form of a central ‘bar’ of stars. Many spirals also boast such a bar, the Milky Way included; galactic bars are thought to funnel material through and around a galaxy’s core, which helps maintain and fuel the activities and processes occurring there,” said the NASA Hubble Mission Team.
[Source]
