Skip to main content

A pair of sparkling galaxies shine in this Hubble image

Two enormous galaxies shine. The galaxy on the left is a lenticular galaxy, named 2MASX J03193743+4137580. The side-on spiral galaxy on the right is named UGC 2665.
Two enormous galaxies capture your attention in this spectacular image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The galaxy on the left is a lenticular galaxy, named 2MASX J03193743+4137580. The side-on spiral galaxy on the right is more simply named UGC 2665. Both galaxies lie approximately 350 million light-years from Earth, and they both form part of the huge Perseus galaxy cluster. ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Harris; Acknowledgment: L. Shatz

This week’s beautiful image of space captured by the Hubble Space Telescope shows two large galaxies, part of the Perseus cluster, against a background starfield. The galaxies are 2MASX J03193743+4137580, shown on the left of the image, and UGC 2665, shown on the right.

The Perseus cluster is enormous, containing thousands of galaxies and being one of the most massive objects in the known universe. It also gives off large quantities of X-rays, making it the brightest cluster in the sky when observed in the X-ray wavelength. X-ray data from this cluster was also important in the development of theories of dark matter.

Recommended Videos

If you are wondering where the name for the cluster comes from, like many astronomical objects, it is named after a mythological figure. “Perseus is an important figure in Greek mythology, renowned for slaying Medusa the Gorgon — who is herself famous for the unhappy reason that she was cursed to have living snakes for hair,” the Hubble scientists write. “Given Perseus’s impressive credentials, it seems appropriate that the galaxy cluster is one of the biggest objects in the known universe, consisting of thousands of galaxies, only a few of which are visible in this image. The wonderful detail in the image is thanks to the WFC3’s powerful resolution and sensitivity to both visible and near-infrared light, the wavelengths captured in this image.”

Hubble itself is currently experiencing problems with its computer, which means its scientific instruments are not currently collecting data. However, engineers on the ground are planning to switch from the current hardware to backup hardware included in the telescope in the hopes of fixing the issue. In the meantime, researchers have previously collected data like this image to study.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
This Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leak unveils its colors
The back of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup has dominated headlines in the last week as leak after leak has emerged, giving us more information on the highly anticipated handsets. Now another bit of news has come onto the scene. Last night, well-known leaker Ice Universe shared that they knew what colors Samsung would offer for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

https://x.com/UniverseIce/status/1847464483763212618

Read more
Hubble captures image of a spectacular ‘stellar volcano’
Evolution of R Aquarii

A gorgeous image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a nearby star called R Aquarii that is the site of dramatic activity: violent eruptions of matter that is thrown out into the space around it. Informally dubbed as a "stellar volcano" for the way it is throwing out matter like lava spewing from deep underground, the star makes for a stunning image, but it also holds an unexpected surprise. The star is not one single object, but two.

Known as a symbiotic variable star, it consists of a red giant and a white dwarf that orbit each other in an ongoing dance. The red giant pulses, with its temperature and brightness changing over a 390-day period. This intersects with the 44-year orbital period of the white dwarf. When the white dwarf starts to close in on the red giant, it sucks off some of its gas via gravity and builds up the disk around it until this collapses and explodes, throwing off jets of material. Then the cycle begins again.

Read more
Forget the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Samsung’s next foldable may be here soon
The end plate on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6's hinge.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is one of the most popular phones of the year. It's easy to see why, as it's packed with features and high-end specs — our own Andy Boxall gave it four out of five stars in his review. It's successor is on the way, though — and we might just have a release date for the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, thanks to a leak from a Korean publication.

One rumor suggested the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition would be released on October 18 — just two days from now — but this new information throws a wrench into that. The site FNNews published a story that said the Z Fold Slim (another name for the Special Edition) will be released on the 25th of this month.

Read more