Hubble glimpses a galactic “sea” landscape

A “Medusa Galaxy” with trailing star tentacles hangs in inky darkness in this image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope

Viewed from this side of the universe simulation, each dot represents a galaxy whose size and brightness are proportional to its mass. Slices from different eras show how Roman could see the universe throughout cosmic history. Astronomers will use these observations to understand how cosmic evolution led to the web-like structure we see today. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and A. Yung

A “Medusa Galaxy” with trailing star tentacles hangs in inky darkness in this image taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency. As Medusa galaxies move through intergalactic space, gas is slowly peeled off, creating tendril-like trails illuminated by clumps of star-forming regions. These blue tendrils are visible below the core of this galaxy, giving it a jellyfish-like appearance. This particular jellyfish galaxy – named JO201 – is in the Leviathan group, named after a sea monster from ancient Greek mythology. The group’s sea monster motif adds to the nautical theme of this image.

The tendrils of Medusa galaxies extend beyond the bright disk of the galactic core. This particular observation originated from an investigation of the sizes, masses and ages of star-forming clumps in the tendrils of Medusa galaxies. Astronomers hope this will help better understand the connection between dynamic air pressure peeling – the process that creates the tendrils of jellyfish galaxies – and star formation.

Hubble’s WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3) captured this galactic seascape. WFC3, a multi-purpose instrument that captures images in UV, AI and visible light wavelengths, is the source of some of Hubble’s most spectacular images.

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