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| This Hubble image showcases NGC 685, a barred spiral galaxy glowing with young stars. |
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a dazzling new image of the galaxy NGC 685, a vibrant star-forming region located roughly 64 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus — also known as the River.
NGC 685 is a barred spiral galaxy, a structure defined by its sweeping spiral arms that extend from a central bar of stars. While similar in structure to our own Milky Way, NGC 685 is slightly more compact, measuring at just under half our galaxy’s size.
This galaxy is ablaze with the blue glow of young stars, scattered along its spiral arms. Pink clouds of ionized hydrogen gas — known as H II regions — also dot the galaxy, signaling areas where massive, hot stars have recently formed. One especially bright H II region is prominently visible at the bottom edge of the image, adding to the galaxy’s visual splendor.
Despite its vibrant appearance, NGC 685 forms stars at a modest pace, converting less than half the mass of our Sun into new stars each year. Still, its rich mix of star-forming regions makes it a valuable target for astronomical research.
Hubble observed NGC 685 as part of two scientific programs focused on star formation in nearby galaxies. The data collected will help astronomers catalogue around 50,000 H II regions and 100,000 star clusters, offering a clearer picture of how stars are born and evolve across the cosmos.
To deepen their understanding, researchers are combining Hubble’s visible and ultraviolet observations with infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope and radio measurements from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This powerful trio of observatories allows scientists to pierce through cosmic dust and reveal the hidden workings of stellar nurseries in unprecedented detail.
As studies continue, NGC 685 serves as a glowing testament to the dynamic processes that shape galaxies — and the stars within them.