The image shows NGC 248 about 60 light-years long and 20 light-years wide. They are two nebulae arranged to appear as one. The nebulas are collectively called NGC 248.
Originally discovered in 1834 by astronomer Sir John Herschel, NGC 248 is located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, located approximately 200,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Tucana.
The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy that is a companion to our Milky Way galaxy. The image is part of a study called the Study of Dust and Gas Ejection in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMIDGE).
The dwarf satellite galaxy contains several bright hydrogen nebulae, including NGC 248. Intense radiation from the bright central stars heats the hydrogen in each nebula, causing them to glow red.
The study’s principal investigator, Dr Karin Sandstrom of the University of California, San Diego, said: “The Small Magellanic Cloud has between one-fifth and one-tenth the amount of heavy elements that the Milky Way contains. Because it is so close, astronomers can study its dust in great detail and learn what the dust was like earlier in the universe’s history.
“It is also important for understanding the history of our galaxy. Most of the star formation happened earlier in the universe, at a time when there was a much lower percentage of heavy elements than now. Dust is a critical part of how a galaxy works, how it forms stars.
The image is part of a study called the Study of Dust and Gas Ejection in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMIDGE). The data used in this image were taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys in September 2015.
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