The spiral galaxy NGC 7456 may appear like other whirling star systems in our universe. But, as a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals, there is far more going on in this galaxy than meets the eye. Behind the patchy spiral arms and glowing clouds of gas lie star-forming areas and a very active galactic core.
What is it?
The recent image brings the fine details of NGC 7456 into focus, including its spiral arms, which are rich with dust that obscure the stars behind them. The pink areas are regions of gas where new stars are starting to form. As the gas responds to the flood of ultraviolet light from these young stars, it glows a signature red that astronomers use to track star formation.
Where is it?
Spiral galaxy NGC 7456 is located more than 51 million light-years away in the constellation Grus, the Crane.
Why is it amazing?
NGC 7456 can act as a cosmic laboratory of sorts for astronomers to track how stars form. By studying these areas, scientists gain insights into how galaxies recycle gas into new generations of stars and planets.
Beyond this, the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton X-Ray observatory also studied this spiral galaxy repeatedly and found mysterious regions known as ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). These compact objects emit far more X-rays than expected for their size. The precise physics behind ULXs remains one of astronomy’s enduring puzzles, and each galaxy that hosts them, including NGC 7456, can provide key clues.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about spiral galaxies and X-ray emission.