Photo of the day: a wolf’s eye in the vastness of the universe
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a stunning image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5643.
The named structure is located at a distance of approximately 60 million light-years from us in the constellation Wolf. It is the constellation of the southern hemisphere of the sky, located between Centaurus and Scorpio.
The photo was transmitted to Earth from the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It is noted that it took a total of nine hours of observation at different exposure times to form the image.
The above image clearly shows the structure of NGC 5643. These are, in particular, the spiral branches that begin at the ends of the bar. Scientists associate the emergence of the bridge itself with compaction waves emanating from the center of the galaxy and changing the orbits of nearby stars. This process creates conditions for further disturbance of the movements of the luminaries, which is why self-sustaining bridges arise.
We add that this year, Hubble celebrated its 30th anniversary. The device was launched on 24 April 1990 aboard the STS-31 Discovery shuttle. During its work in orbit, the telescope transmitted to Earth a huge number of beautiful pictures of the Universe and a lot of scientific information, the significance of which cannot be overestimated.
