Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured a striking new photo of an unusual spiral galaxy called NGC 5585.
This Hubble image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 5585. Hotspots of star formation can be seen along the galaxy’s faint spiral arms. These regions shine a brilliant blue, contrasting strikingly against the ever-black background of space. The color image is made up of observations from Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) in the near-infrared and optical parts of the spectrum. Two filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / R. Tully / Gagandeep Anand.
NGC 5585 is located approximately 25.5 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major.
The galaxy was discovered on April 17, 1789 by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
It is a member of the M101 group, a bright group of nearly 10 galaxies dominated by the Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 101 (M101).
Also known as LEDA 51210 and UGC 9179, NGC 5585 has a diameter of roughly 35,000 light-years.
“NGC 5585 is more than it appears,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“The many stars and dust and gas clouds that make up this galaxy contribute only a small fraction of its total mass.”
“As in many galaxies, this discrepancy can be explained by the abundant yet seemingly invisible presence of dark matter.”
“When compared with galaxies of a similar shape and size, NGC 5585 stands out by having a notably different composition,” they explained.
“Contributing to the total mass of the galaxy, it contains a far higher proportion of dark matter.”
