Hubble reveals stunning edge-on view of spiral galaxy

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2024 - The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided an extraordinary image of the spiral galaxy UGC 10043, located approximately 150 million light-years from Earth in the Serpens constellation. Viewed edge-on, this galaxy offers a rare perspective, with its spiral arms hidden from view, revealing a sharp profile against the cosmic backdrop.

In this edge-on orientation, UGC 10043's disk appears as a fine line, with dense dust lanes forming thick bands that obscure parts of the galaxy's radiant light. If observed from above, the scattered dust would likely highlight the intricate spiral arms characteristic of such galaxies. Despite the obscuration, regions of active star formation shine brightly through the dark dust clouds. The galaxy also displays a prominent, glowing central bulge, egg-shaped and extending well above and below the disk - a hallmark of all spiral galaxies, though not always visible in images.

The bulge of UGC 10043 appears unusually large relative to its disk, potentially due to the galaxy absorbing material from a neighboring dwarf galaxy. This interaction may also explain the warped appearance of its disk, which bends upward at one end and downward at the other.

The image is a composite, combining data captured by Hubble across different wavelengths. Remarkably, the datasets used to create this stunning visualization were taken 23 years apart, in 2000 and 2023. Hubble's extended operational lifespan not only enables the creation of updated images but also provides a growing archive of valuable data for ongoing astronomical research.