Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have produced an outstanding new image of the dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 4449.
This Hubble image shows NGC 4449, a dwarf galaxy some 12.5 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / E. Sabbi / D. Calzetti / A. Aloisi.
NGC 4449 is located some 12.5 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici.
Otherwise known as Caldwell 21, LEDA 40973 or UGC 7592, this galaxy is approximately 20,000 light-years across.
NGC 4449 was discovered by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1788.
It is part of the M94 galaxy group, which lies close to the Local Group that hosts our Milky Way.
“NGC 4449 is a dwarf galaxy, which means that it is far smaller and contains fewer stars than the Milky Way,” the Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“But don’t let its small size fool you — NGC 4449 packs a punch when it comes to making stars.”
“This galaxy is currently forming new stars at a much faster rate than expected for its size, which makes it known as a starburst galaxy.”
“Most starburst galaxies churn out stars mainly in their centers, but NGC 4449 is alight with brilliant young stars throughout.”
The astronomers believe that this global burst of star formation came about because of NGC 4449’s interactions with its galactic neighbors.
“Because NGC 4449 is so close, it provides an excellent opportunity for Hubble to study how interactions between galaxies can influence the formation of new stars,” they noted.
The new color image of NGC 4449 is made up of observations from Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) in the ultraviolet, near-infrared, and optical parts of the spectrum.
Seven filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“A Hubble image of NGC 4449 was previously released in 2007,” the researchers said.
“This new version incorporates several additional wavelengths of light that Hubble collected for multiple observing programs.”
“These programs encompass an incredible range of science, from a deep dive into NGC 4449’s star-formation history to the mapping of the brightest, hottest, and most massive stars in more than two dozen nearby galaxies.”
