Hubble captures intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 6951

Vibrant blue spiral arms twist across the bright-white heart of this starry galaxy. This new NASA Hubble Area Telescope picture options NGC 6951, an intermediate spiral galaxy 78 million light-years away within the Cepheus constellation.

Found independently by French astronomer Jerome Coggia in 1877 and American astronomer Lewis Swift in 1878, NGC 6951 intrigues scientists with its stellar historical past. The galaxy had its highest charges of star formation about 800 million years in the past, then sat quietly for 300 million years earlier than starting to start stars once more.

The typical age of a star cluster, or gravitationally-bound group of stars, on this galaxy is 200 to 300 million years outdated, although some are as outdated as one billion years. Turbulent areas of gasoline, proven in darkish pink, encompass the intense blue pinpricks which might be star clusters.

Astronomers usually classify NGC 6951 as a Kind II Seyfert galaxy, a kind of lively galaxy that emits massive quantities of infrared radiation and has slow-moving gaseous matter close to its heart. Some astronomers classify NGC 6951 as a low-ionization nuclear emission-line area (LINER) galaxy, which has similarities to a Kind II Seyfert galaxy however with a cooler nucleus that emits weakly ionized or neutral atoms like oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. The entire galaxy is about 75,000 light-years throughout, and since it’s near the northern celestial pole, it’s seen from the northern hemisphere.

On the heart of NGC 6951 lies a supermassive black hole surrounded by a hoop of stars, gasoline, and dust about 3,700 light-years throughout. This “circumnuclear ring” is between 1 and 1.5 billion years outdated and has been forming stars for many of that point.

Scientists hypothesize that interstellar gasoline flows by way of the dense, starry bar of the galaxy to the circumnuclear ring, which provides new materials for star formation. As much as 40% of the mass within the ring comes from comparatively new stars which might be lower than 100 million years outdated. Spiral lanes of dust, proven in darkish orange, join the middle of the galaxy to its outer areas, contributing extra materials for future star formation.

Among the stars in NGC 6951 have additionally skilled terrific stellar explosions generally known as supernovae; astronomers have counted as many as six supernovae on this galaxy previously 25 years. Scientists proceed to review NGC 6951 to raised perceive the environments that produce supernovae. Finding out the emissions from supernovae helps astronomers perceive the progenitor star, its age, luminosity, and place.

This picture used knowledge from Hubble’s Extensive Subject Digital camera 3 and Superior Digital camera for Surveys. The info are in each seen and infrared light.