Hubble image archive
Black Hole-Powered Spiral Galaxy NGC 7742
What may first appear as a sunny side up egg is actually NASA Hubble Space Telescope's face-on snapshot of the small spiral galaxy NGC 7742. But NGC 7742 is not a run-of-the-mill spiral galaxy. In fact, this spiral is known to be a Seyfert 2 active galaxy, a type of galaxy that i...
- Date
- Jan 1, 1998
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-1998-28-696-image
What may first appear as a sunny side up egg is actually NASA Hubble Space Telescope's face-on snapshot of the small spiral galaxy NGC 7742. But NGC 7742 is not a run-of-the-mill spiral galaxy. In fact, this spiral is known to be a Seyfert 2 active galaxy, a type of galaxy that is probably powered by a black hole residing in its core. The core of NGC 7742 is the large yellow "yolk" in the center of the image. The lumpy, thick ring around this core is an area of active starbirth. The ring is about 3,000 light-years from the core. Tightly wound spiral arms also are faintly visible. Surrounding the inner ring is a wispy band of material, which is probably the remains of a once very active stellar breeding ground.
Credits
Image
AURA, STScI, NASA, Hubble Heritage Project (STScI, AURA)
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 7742 |
| Object Description | Face-on Spiral galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 23h 44m 15.85s |
| Dec. Position | 10° 46' 0.9" |
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 72 million light-years (22 million parsecs) |
| Dimensions | The entire visible galaxy is 36,000 light-years (11,000 parsecs) across. The image is approximately 80 arcseconds across. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Principal Astronomers: C. R. Lynds (NOAO/KPNO), J. A. Westphal (CalTech), Earl O'Neil Jr. (NOAO/KPNO), and collaborators. |
| Instrument | HST>WFPC2 |
| Exposure Dates | July 9, 1995, Exposure Time: 1 hour |
| Filters | F336W (U), F555W (V), and F675W (R) |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Blue: F336W (U) Green: F555W (V) Red: F675W (R) |
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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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