Hubble Catches Giant in the Head of the Serpent

May 18, 2022 | Daily Space, Galaxies

Hubble Catches Giant in the Head of the Serpent
IMAGE: This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image spotlights the giant elliptical galaxy, UGC 10143, at the heart of galaxy cluster, Abell 2147, about 486 million light-years away in the head of the serpent, the constellation Serpens. CREDIT: NASA, ESA, and W. Harris (McMaster University); Image processing: G. Kober (NASA Goddard/Catholic University of America)

UGC10143 lurks in the center of galaxy cluster Abell 2147, which is located a hair under 500 million light-years away. What’s so exciting about this diffuse cloud of stars is the idea that elliptical galaxies may form when other galaxies merge.

UGC10143 was imaged because it was the brightest galaxy in its cluster, and like all such galaxies, was formed from the slow merger of in-falling systems that were drawn in by its massive gravitational pull. Researchers used the Hubble to study the globular clusters that surround this galaxy and likely preserve the history of those mergers.

This image uses data from Hubble and the Pan-STARRS telescope system on Earth. It is processed to depict mid-infrared as orange and blue as well as blue in optical light.

More Information

NASA Goddard image release

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