Hubble captures the most accurate image of the galaxy that has undergone the supernova

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a sharper image of a galaxy where a star is making news after it exploded violently. The new foreground image shows the galaxy UGC 678, located 260 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Pisces.

Although astronomers know very little about the formation and composition of the galaxy, previous observations using various telescopes revealed it to be an interesting object.

In 2020, the area became famous after astronomers discovered evidence of a supernova near the galactic core. The star, which was many times more massive than the Sun, ran out of fuel and collapsed under its own gravity in a violent death.

The blast was detected by the Asteroid Earth Impact Ultimate Warning System, a network of four telescopes located in Hawaii, Chile and South Africa. While the main focus of ATLAS is alerting astronomers about objects that will impact Earth, the system also signals sudden changes in celestial bodies.

The astronomers involved in the discovery had seen the event a few days after the eruption and requested more detailed observations. However, just two weeks after the accident, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia spacecraft confirmed that the bright light was indeed from a supernova.

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Additional studies have been conducted by Pan-STARRS in Hawaii and by Hubble itself. Many of these discoveries have helped astronomers determine the galaxy’s appearance, but they still don’t know much about the starburst itself.

What is known is that the galaxy UGC 678 is very similar to the Milky Way – although it is not part of it. The galaxy is located in the constellation of Pisces and has a spiral structure with a starry disk forming tentacles.

Moreover, the galactic center has a bar structure, thanks to the gas and dust flowing inward. Astronomers say this structure is similar to that of the Milky Way, but much weaker.

via space.com.

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