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At the Kennedy Space Center, a new robot shovels up manufactured lunar dust as part of a larger test.

Physicists are a step closer to using quantum computers for simulations that are beyond the ability of any ordinary computers

Evidence from Earth’s deep past suggests dramatic subduction zones can spread like a contagion

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Hubble Studies a Spiral’s Supernova Scene This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the barred spiral galaxy IC 758. ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick

This serene spiral galaxy hides a cataclysmic past. The galaxy IC 758, shown in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, is situated 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

Hubble captured this image in 2023. IC 758 appears peaceful, with its soft blue spiral arms curving gently around its hazy barred center. However, in 1999, astronomers spotted a powerful explosion in this galaxy. The supernova SN 1999bg marked the dramatic end of a star far more massive than the Sun.

Researchers do not know exactly how massive this star was before it exploded, but will use these Hubble observations to measure the masses of stars in SN 1999bg’s neighborhood. These measurements will help them estimate the mass of the star that went supernova. The Hubble data may also reveal whether SN 1999bg’s progenitor star had a companion, which would provide additional clues about the star’s life and death.

A supernova represents more than just the demise of a single star — it’s also a powerful force that can shape its neighborhood. When a massive star collapses, triggering a supernova, its outer layers rebound off its shrunken core. The explosion stirs the interstellar soup of gas and dust out of which new stars form. This interstellar shakeup can scatter and heat nearby gas clouds, preventing new stars from forming, or it can compress them, creating a burst of new star formation. The cast-off layers enrich the interstellar medium, from which new stars form, with heavy elements manufactured in the core of the supernova.

Text Credit: ESA/Hubble

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Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli (claire.andreoli@nasa.gov)
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

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Last Updated

Jun 13, 2025

Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Related Terms

• Hubble Space Telescope
• Astrophysics
• Astrophysics Division
• Galaxies
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Spiral Galaxies
• The Universe

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble’s Galaxies

Homing in on Cosmic Explosions

Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge

Explore Hubble

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

2 min read

Hubble Studies a Spiral’s Supernova Scene This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the barred spiral galaxy IC 758. ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick

This serene spiral galaxy hides a cataclysmic past. The galaxy IC 758, shown in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, is situated 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

Hubble captured this image in 2023. IC 758 appears peaceful, with its soft blue spiral arms curving gently around its hazy barred center. However, in 1999, astronomers spotted a powerful explosion in this galaxy. The supernova SN 1999bg marked the dramatic end of a star far more massive than the Sun.

Researchers do not know exactly how massive this star was before it exploded, but will use these Hubble observations to measure the masses of stars in SN 1999bg’s neighborhood. These measurements will help them estimate the mass of the star that went supernova. The Hubble data may also reveal whether SN 1999bg’s progenitor star had a companion, which would provide additional clues about the star’s life and death.

A supernova represents more than just the demise of a single star — it’s also a powerful force that can shape its neighborhood. When a massive star collapses, triggering a supernova, its outer layers rebound off its shrunken core. The explosion stirs the interstellar soup of gas and dust out of which new stars form. This interstellar shakeup can scatter and heat nearby gas clouds, preventing new stars from forming, or it can compress them, creating a burst of new star formation. The cast-off layers enrich the interstellar medium, from which new stars form, with heavy elements manufactured in the core of the supernova.

Text Credit: ESA/Hubble

Facebook logo @NASAHubble

@NASAHubble

Instagram logo @NASAHubble

Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli (claire.andreoli@nasa.gov)
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Jun 13, 2025

Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Related Terms

• Hubble Space Telescope
• Astrophysics
• Astrophysics Division
• Galaxies
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Spiral Galaxies
• The Universe

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble’s Galaxies

Homing in on Cosmic Explosions

Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge

A near-complete census of our interstellar neighborhood hopes to answer how stars, brown dwarfs and rogue planets form throughout the universe

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Art inspired by the NuSTAR Mission. A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

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Art inspired by the NuSTAR Mission. A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Spiral Galaxies (PNG)

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PNG (195.06 KB)

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Spiral Galaxies (PDF)

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PDF (474.45 KB)

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NuSTAR Coloring Pages – X-rays (PDF)

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PDF (502.45 KB)

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Art inspired by the NuSTAR Mission. A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Spacecraft (PNG)

Jun 12, 2025

PNG (187.75 KB)

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Spacecraft (PDF)

Jun 12, 2025

PDF (485.00 KB)

Art inspired by the NuSTAR Mission. A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

NuSTAR Coloring Page – The Sun (PNG)

Jun 12, 2025

PNG (171.45 KB)

NuSTAR Coloring Page – The Sun (PDF)

Jun 12, 2025

PDF (432.73 KB)

Art inspired by the NuSTAR Mission. A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Stellar Remains (PNG)

Jun 12, 2025

PNG (160.71 KB)

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Stellar Remains (PDF)

Jun 12, 2025

PDF (411.75 KB)

A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

View All

NuSTAR Coloring Page – X-ray Binaries (PNG)

Jun 12, 2025

PNG (163.95 KB)

NuSTAR Coloring Page – X-ray Binaries (PDF)

Jun 12, 2025

PDF (474.45 KB)

Art inspired by the NuSTAR Mission. A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Spiral Galaxies (PNG)

Jun 12, 2025

PNG (195.06 KB)

NuSTAR Coloring Page – Spiral Galaxies (PDF)

Jun 12, 2025

PDF (474.45 KB)

A coloring page for NASA’s NuSTAR mission. Downloads

NuSTAR Coloring Pages – X-rays (PNG)

Jun 12, 2025

PNG (168.61 KB)

NuSTAR Coloring Pages – X-rays (PDF)

Jun 12, 2025

PDF (502.45 KB)

Downloads

All NuSTAR Coloring Pages (PDF)

Jun 12, 2025

PDF (2.56 MB)

Astronomers have discovered a "teenage vampire" dead star in the process of devouring a companion star during a short-lived, "missing link" phase of its evolution.

Simultaneously cooling Pluto while energizing atmospheric molecules to allow them to escape into space, Pluto's haze plays a key role in the planet's energy balance.