This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the galaxy IC 3583, which lies in the constellation of Virgo, approximately 27.8 million light-years away.
This image, taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the dwarf irregular galaxy IC 3583. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.
IC 3583, also known as LEDA 42081, UGC 7784 and IRAS 12341+1332, is a dwarf irregular galaxy.
It was discovered in 1892 by the Welsh engineer and amateur astronomer Isaac Roberts.
It may seem to have no discernable structure, but this galaxy has been found to have a bar of stars running through its centre.
These structures are common throughout the Universe, and are found within the majority of spiral, many irregular, and some lenticular galaxies.
Two of our nearest galactic neighbors, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, are barred, indicating that they may have once been barred spirals that were disrupted or torn apart by the gravitational pull of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Something similar might be happening with IC 3583.
This dwarf galaxy is thought to be gravitationally interacting with one of its neighbors, Messier 90, an intermediate spiral galaxy some 60 million light-years away.
Together, the duo forms a group of galaxies known as Arp 76.
It’s still unclear whether these flirtations are the cause of IC 3583’s irregular appearance — but whatever the cause, the galaxy makes for a strikingly delicate sight in this Hubble image, glimmering in the blackness of space.
This picture was snapped by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).
It is based on data obtained through two filters: a broad V-band filter (F606W) and a near-infrared filter (F814W).
The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
