This portrait from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope puts the nearby galaxy NGC 4449 in the spotlight. The galaxy is situated just 12.5 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs). It is a member of the M94 galaxy group, which is near the Local Group of galaxies that the Milky Way is part of.

Text credit: European Space Agency
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, E. Sabbi, D. Calzetti, A. Aloisi

Webb is giving astronomers a new look at spiral galaxy Messier 83 (M83), revealing evidence that suggests the presence of a supermassive black hole!

Image Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Adamo (Stockholm University) and the FEAST JWST team

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured in exquisite detail a face-on view of a remarkable-looking galaxy. NGC 5335 is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk. There is a striking lack of well-defined spiral arms that are commonly found among galaxies, including our Milky Way. A notable bar structure slices across the center of the galaxy. The bar channels gas inwards toward the galactic center, fueling star formation. Such bars are dynamic in galaxies and may come and go over two-billion-year intervals. They appear in about 30 percent of observed galaxies, including our Milky Way.

Credit: Image: NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

This outflow from a newly forming star gives this Herbig-Haro object (HH 49/50) its nickname, the “cosmic tornado.” This pillar of gas and dust looks like it’s topped by a galaxy, but perspective makes all the difference here. In reality, this galaxy is light years away from HH 49/50 and completely unassociated with it!

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.