Specialists working with the Hubble telescope have published a new image taken by it. It shows the galaxy NGC 4449. This object is characterized by starburst galaxies.
NGC 4449 is located 12.5 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, making it one of our closest neighbors. It belongs to the M94 group of galaxies, located near the Local Group of galaxies, which includes the Milky Way.
NGC 4449 is classified as a dwarf galaxy. This means that it is much smaller and contains fewer stars than the Milky Way. NGC 4449 is even smaller than the Large Magellanic Cloud.
But this is a case where size does not matter. The fact is that NGC 4449 is a galaxy undergoing a burst of star formation. It produces new stars at a rate far exceeding that of both our Milky Way and its closest neighbors.
Most starburst galaxies produce stars in their centers. But NGC 4449 shows clusters of bright young stars scattered throughout its territory. Researchers believe that this global burst of star formation occurred due to the interaction of NGC 4449 with its galactic neighbors.
Since NGC 4449 is so close, it provides Hubble with an excellent opportunity to study how interactions between galaxies can influence the formation of new stars. The telescope had previously photographed it. The new image includes observations at additional wavelengths, which provides a better understanding of the processes occurring in NGC 4449.
The James Webb Space Telescope also participated in observations of NGC 4449. Its infrared images revealed thread-like gas and dust formations glowing from the intense radiation emitted by hot young stars.
According to Esahubble
