Astronomers using the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope have produced a spectacularly detailed image of the central region of NGC 4535.
This Hubble image shows the blocked spiral system NGC 4535. The color image consists of observations of Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) in the ultraviolet, near-infrared and optical parts of the spectrum. Five filters were used to sample different wavelengths. The color is the result of assigning different colors to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image Credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J. Lee / PHANGS-HST Team.
NGC 4535 is approximately 52.6 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.
Otherwise known as LEDA 41812 and UGC 7727, this galaxy was first observed on 28 December 1785 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel.
NGC 4535, seen through a smaller telescope, has a hazy, ghostly appearance, which inspired leading amateur astronomer Leland S. Copeland to call it ‘The Lost Galaxy’ in the 1950s.
The galaxy is one of the largest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, a massive cluster of as many as 2,000 galaxies, and is located near the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87.
NGC 4535’s almost circular appearance shows that we almost observe it face to face.
In the middle of it there is a well-defined rod structure, with dust webs that curve sharply before the spiral arms of the rod end.
“The bright colors in this Hubble image are not only beautiful to look at, because it actually tells us about the population of stars in NGC 4535,” said Hubble astronomers.
“The bright blue-like colors, seen between its long, spiral arms, indicate the presence of a greater number of younger and warmer stars.”
“On the other hand, the yellow tone of NGC 4535’s hump indicates that this central region is home to older and cooler stars.”
“This galaxy was studied as part of the PHANGS survey, which aims to elucidate many of the links between cold gas clouds, star formation and the overall shape and other properties of galaxies,” they said.