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A bright flash of radio waves from 3 billion years after the big bang is illuminating parts of the universe that astronomers can’t normally see

There's a gap in black hole masses, and experts believe here is where 'lite intermediate black holes' reside.

Colossal Biosciences bold announcements about its project to replicate dire wolf traits have drawn criticism from many scientists, but the billion-dollar firm is not backing down

Week in images: 11-15 August 2025

Discover our week through the lens

Deep-field images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope revealed 300 unusually energetic early galaxy candidates, offering new insights into how the universe formed and evolved over 13 billion years ago.

Astronomers discovered a star-triggered explosion shaping its dusty disk, revealing a far more chaotic and intense environment than previously thought.

An extremely precise detection method for single electrons, which pins down the particles with a resolution of trillionths of a second, may provide a valuable building block for future quantum technologies

An extremely precise detection method for single electrons, which pins down the particles with a resolution of trillionths of a second, may provide a valuable building block for future quantum technologies

The Milky Way galaxy glows alongside the zodiacal light over the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.

Some exoplanets are so close to their stars that the rock is melted. Astronomers have dozens of these lava planets, maybe more because they're challenging to confirm. New research shows how the JWST can help astronomers understand them.

3I/ATLAS, our third discovered interstellar visitor, has been in the news a lot lately for a whole host of reasons, and rightly so given the amount of unique scientific data different groups and telescopes have been collecting off of it. A new pre-release paper from researchers at the Auburn University Department of Physics recounts yet another interesting aspect of the new visitor - its water content.

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2 min read

Hubble Examines Low Brightness, High Interest Galaxy This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a portion of the spiral galaxy NGC 45. ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Calzetti, R. Chandar; Acknowledgment: M. H. Özsaraç

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image zooms in on the feathery spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 45, which lies just 22 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (the Whale).

The portrait uses data drawn from two complementary observing programs. The first took a broad view of 50 nearby galaxies, leveraging Hubble’s ability to observe ultraviolet through visible into near-infrared light to study star formation in these galaxies. The second program examined many of the same nearby galaxies as the first, narrowing in on a particular wavelength of red light called H-alpha. Star-forming nebulae are powerful producers of H-alpha light, and several of these regions are visible across NGC 45 as bright pink-red patches.

These observing programs aimed to study star formation in galaxies of different sizes, structures, and degrees of isolation — and NGC 45 is a particularly interesting target. Though it may appear to be a regular spiral galaxy, NGC 45 is a remarkable type called a low surface brightness galaxy.

Low surface brightness galaxies are fainter than the night sky itself, making them incredibly difficult to detect. They appear unexpectedly faint because they have relatively few stars for the volume of gas and dark matter they carry. In the decades since astronomers serendipitously discovered the first low surface brightness galaxy in 1986, researchers have learned that 30–60% of all galaxies may fall into this category. Studying these hard-to-detect galaxies is key to understanding how galaxies form and evolve, and Hubble’s sensitive instruments are equal to the task.

Text Credit: ESA/Hubble

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Last Updated

Aug 15, 2025

Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Related Terms

• Astrophysics
• Astrophysics Division
• Galaxies
• Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes
• Hubble Space Telescope
• Spiral Galaxies
• Star-forming Nebulae
• Stars
• The Universe

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble

35 Years of Hubble Images

Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge

Hearing Hubble

3D Hubble Models

Algorithmic social media is driving the creation of new slang at a breakneck pace. Linguist Adam Aleksic, also known as the Etymology Nerd, explains how

Explore Hubble

• Hubble Home
• Overview
• Impact & Benefits
• Science
• Observatory
• Team
• Multimedia
• News
• More

2 min read

Hubble Examines Low Brightness, High Interest Galaxy This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a portion of the spiral galaxy NGC 45. ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Calzetti, R. Chandar; Acknowledgment: M. H. Özsaraç

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image zooms in on the feathery spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 45, which lies just 22 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (the Whale).

The portrait uses data drawn from two complementary observing programs. The first took a broad view of 50 nearby galaxies, leveraging Hubble’s ability to observe ultraviolet through visible into near-infrared light to study star formation in these galaxies. The second program examined many of the same nearby galaxies as the first, narrowing in on a particular wavelength of red light called H-alpha. Star-forming nebulae are powerful producers of H-alpha light, and several of these regions are visible across NGC 45 as bright pink-red patches.

These observing programs aimed to study star formation in galaxies of different sizes, structures, and degrees of isolation — and NGC 45 is a particularly interesting target. Though it may appear to be a regular spiral galaxy, NGC 45 is a remarkable type called a low surface brightness galaxy.

Low surface brightness galaxies are fainter than the night sky itself, making them incredibly difficult to detect. They appear unexpectedly faint because they have relatively few stars for the volume of gas and dark matter they carry. In the decades since astronomers serendipitously discovered the first low surface brightness galaxy in 1986, researchers have learned that 30–60% of all galaxies may fall into this category. Studying these hard-to-detect galaxies is key to understanding how galaxies form and evolve, and Hubble’s sensitive instruments are equal to the task.

Text Credit: ESA/Hubble

Facebook logo @NASAHubble

@NASAHubble

Instagram logo @NASAHubble

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Aug 15, 2025

Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Related Terms

• Astrophysics
• Astrophysics Division
• Galaxies
• Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes
• Hubble Space Telescope
• Spiral Galaxies
• Star-forming Nebulae
• Stars
• The Universe

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble

35 Years of Hubble Images

Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge

Hearing Hubble

3D Hubble Models

Neptune’s discovery was a race that ended not long after this magazine came to be

People who have similar neural responses to movie clips are more likely to become friends, indicating bonds form based off shared thought processes

People who have similar neural responses to movie clips are more likely to become friends, indicating bonds form based off shared thought processes

Virus-based treatments are already approved to treat several types of cancer, and combining them with bacteria could make them even more effective

Virus-based treatments are already approved to treat several types of cancer, and combining them with bacteria could make them even more effective