Photo of the day: at the heart of a distorted galaxy

This time, the object NGC 2442 is captured – a distorted galaxy in the constellation Flying Fish. Education is located at a distance of approximately 55 million light-years from us.

In March 2015, a supernova SN2015F was recorded in the galaxy – the consequences of a white dwarf explosion. If such a star is part of a binary star system, as in this case, it can begin to “pull out” the companion’s matter. Ultimately, the white dwarf becomes unstable and explodes as a supernova.

The above image clearly shows the central region of NGC 2442 – the bright “heart” of the galaxy. The unusual shape of the structure is explained by the collision of NGC 2442 with another galaxy, which occurred in the past. This event launched active star formation processes in some parts of the galaxy.

We also note that this year Hubble celebrated its 30th anniversary. The space observatory was launched on April 24, 1990, aboard the STS-31 Discovery shuttle.