Hubble Views Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1385 In Different Filters #hubble #spiralgalaxy

Approximately 30 million light-years away from Earth, the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1385 is represented by this bright tangle of stars and dust. Another Hubble Picture of the Week featured the same galaxy, but there are some noticeable differences between the two photos. While cold blues dominated the previous image, this more current one features significantly more umber and pinkish-red tones. This chromatic variety was chosen both technically and creatively to reflect the various types and numbers of filters that were utilised to gather the data needed to create the corresponding photographs.

It makes sense to be a little perplexed as to how the same galaxy, seen twice with the same telescope, should seem so differently in the two photographs. The explanation for this is that Hubble, like other powerful telescopes used by professional astronomers for scientific study, has a variety of filters installed. These highly complex parts have little resemblance to social media filters, which are software-driven filters applied after the photo has been shot and which remove information from the image by distorting or reducing specific hues for aesthetic purposes. Telescope filters, on the other hand, are actual hardware components that restrict the wavelengths of light that may enter the telescope during data collection. Although some light is lost in the process, astronomers are still able to examine incredibly narrow regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is highly advantageous for several reasons, such as the fact that filters may be tuned to the precise wavelengths at which certain components' physical processes generate light.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST team