NASA released an image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope showing a galaxy under pressure.
The image released by the space agency last week shows a galaxy located 52 million light years away, LEDA 42160, as it forces its way through a dense gas. NASA said the ram pressure offers “dramatic” effects on star formation in the galaxy.
Under pressure 😰
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) March 15, 2024
As a galaxy moves in space, it encounters resistance caused by gas and dust it passes through.
In this #HubbleFriday view of galaxy LEDA 42160, the bright patches may be star-forming regions caused by this ram pressure: https://t.co/mCjuo3hxYI pic.twitter.com/JKWBZ4s38p
“The gas and dust that permeates space exerts pressure on a galaxy as it moves. This resistance, called ram pressure, can strip a galaxy of its star-forming gas and dust, reducing or even stopping the creation of new stars,” the space agency said in a blog post. “However, ram pressure can also compress gas in the galaxy, which can boost star formation.”
The space agency also said that the Hubble telescope has been researching how dwarf galaxies undergo ram pressure, such as is seen with LEDA 42160. NASA said its research using the Hubble telescope will help scientists better understand how features within smaller galaxies are formed.
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space in 1990 by NASA and has been capturing images of distant space for more than three decades while also adding to scientists’ understanding of the universe.
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NASA has released hundreds of images from the Hubble telescope in the decades since it was launched.
In addition to the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA also releases images from the James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched in 2021 and has more advanced technology. Images from the Webb telescope have been released since July 2022 by the space agency.
