By ESA/Hubble, 24 July 2022
This Hubble Space Telescope image includes multiple galaxies, perhaps most prominently LEDA 58109, the lone galaxy in the upper right corner. Courtesy: ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Keel
This spectacular luminescent image from the Hubble Space Telescope includes multiple galaxies, perhaps most prominently LEDA 58109, the lone galaxy in the upper right corner. LEDA 58109 is flanked by two additional galactic objects in the lower left, an active galactic nucleus (AGN) called SDSS J162558.14+435746.4, which partially obscures the galaxy SDSS J162557.25+435743.5, which appears to protrude to the right behind the AGN.
Sometimes the classification of galaxies is presented as something of a dichotomy: spiral and elliptical. However, the diverse variety of galaxies in this image alone highlights the complex web of galaxy classifications that exist. This includes galaxies that contain extremely luminous AGNs in their cores, and galaxies whose odd shapes do not classify as spirals or ellipticals.
This collection of galaxies also illustrates the wide range of names that galaxies have: some that are relatively short, like LEDA 58109, and some that are very long and hard to remember, like the two galaxies on the left. This is because there are multiple cataloging systems that map celestial objects in the night sky.
No catalog is complete, and they cover overlapping regions of the sky, so many galaxies belong to several different catalogs. For example, the galaxy on the right is LEDA 58109 in the LEDA Galaxy Database, but is also known as MCG+07-34-030 in the MCG Galaxy Catalog and SDSS J162551.50+435747.5 in the SDSS Galaxy Catalog—the same catalog that also lists the two galaxies on the left.
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