NASA has released more than 50 new Hubble images showing 30 galaxies, star clusters and nebulae. All of these objects belong to a collection known to astronomers as the Caldwell catalog.
This Hubble image shows Caldwell 45, a spiral galaxy located 59 million light-years away in the constellation of Boötes. Also known as NGC 5248, this galaxy is notable for its ring structure around its core. These nuclear rings are characterized by hot spots of starburst activity. Caldwell 45 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1784. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 10 and can be observed with a small telescope, although it will not appear very bright. A larger telescope is needed to distinguish the spiral arms of the galaxy. The best time of year to observe Caldwell 45 is during Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. This stunning image from Caldwell 45 is a composite of observations made by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) in visible, infrared and ultraviolet light. It captures the glowing red clouds where new stars form, scattered along the twisting arms of the galaxy. These observations from Caldwell 45 were made to help astronomers learn about gas in the starburst regions of the galaxy and better understand the structure of its nuclear rings. Image credit: NASA / ESA / J. Lee, California Institute of Technology / A. Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley / Gladys Kober, Catholic University of America.
In the 18th century, French astronomer Charles Messier compiled a list of about 100 diffuse objects that were difficult to distinguish from comets through the telescopes of the time.
These spotty spots in the sky have since been revealed as distant galaxies, star clusters and nebulae, and his catalog became a guide to locating visually stunning cosmic objects.
In the 1980s, British amateur astronomer and science communicator Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore produced an additional list to highlight more cosmic wonders visible to amateur astronomers.
Unlike the Messier catalog, which only includes objects visible from Messier’s viewing location in Europe, the Caldwell catalog contains celestial objects found in both the northern and southern skies.
It consists of 46 star clusters, 35 galaxies and 28 nebulae, or 109 objects in all.
Caldwell-Moore intentionally avoided including any of the Messier objects in his catalog, hoping to broaden the cosmic horizons of his fellow amateur astronomers.
From nearby gas and dust clouds left over from dying stars to distant galaxies formed billions of years ago, the Caldwell catalog is full of surprising celestial delights.
The newly released collection of over 50 new Hubble images includes 30 Caldwell objects.
“Because of Hubble’s detailed field of view, some of the photos do not capture the entire Caldwell object, but sometimes zoom in on clusters of young stars in the arms of a spiral galaxy, stars at the edge of a cluster, or the zombie star in the sky. heart of a nebula, ”said NASA astronomers.
“But in other cases, a mosaic of Hubble observations comes together to create a complete or nearly complete portrait of the celestial wonder.”
Hubble’s collection now includes 87 of 109 Caldwell objects.
“For every entry in Hubble’s Caldwell catalog, a simple star chart shows observers when and where to find that object in the night sky, and a description indicates what type of observation equipment can be used to view it,” the researchers said.
“The individual articles also explain the Hubble images for those who prefer to simply enjoy the beautiful vistas from the telescope.”