Hubble unveils the “Lost Galaxy” as a vibrant spiral alive with newborn stars and glowing clouds of cosmic energy.
This Hubble Space Telescope image highlights the spiral galaxy NGC 4535, a vast system of stars located about 50 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo (The Maiden). While that distance is far beyond anything in our own galaxy, it places NGC 4535 in what astronomers consider the nearby universe. NGC 4535 has earned the nickname the ‘Lost Galaxy’ because it appears extremely faint when viewed through small backyard telescopes, making it difficult to study from the ground.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is uniquely suited for observing galaxies like this one. Its primary mirror measures 2.4 meters across, allowing it to collect far more light than smaller instruments. This capability lets Hubble detect dim objects and reveal fine details, including the galaxy’s sweeping spiral arms and its central bar, a dense, elongated region packed with stars that helps shape the galaxy’s structure.
Young Star Clusters and Glowing Gas Clouds
One of the most striking features in this image is the abundance of young star clusters scattered along NGC 4535’s spiral arms. Star clusters are groups of stars that formed together from the same cloud of gas and dust. Many of these clusters shine with a bright blue color, which indicates that their stars are very hot and relatively young.
Surrounding many of these blue stars are glowing pink clouds known as H II (‘H-two’) regions. These clouds are made of hydrogen gas that has been energized by intense radiation from nearby massive stars. When this radiation heats the gas, it causes the clouds to glow, making them visible across vast distances. The presence of H II regions signals active star formation, meaning new stars are still being born within the galaxy.
Massive stars play a dramatic role in shaping their environment. They flood nearby space with high-energy radiation, drive powerful stellar winds that push surrounding material outward, and eventually end their lives in explosive supernova events. Each of these processes stirs and reshapes the gas around them, influencing when and where the next generation of stars will form.
Mapping Star Formation Across Nearby Galaxies
The image also draws on data from a large observing effort aimed at cataloging roughly 50,000 H II regions in nearby galaxies where stars are actively forming. By studying so many regions across different galaxies, astronomers can compare how star formation unfolds in a wide range of environments.
NGC 4535 was previously featured in a Hubble image released in 2021. Both that earlier image and the new one include observations from the PHANGS program, a major research project focused on understanding how young stars interact with cold gas, the raw material for future star formation. The latest image adds important new information by capturing the intense red glow of nebulae surrounding massive stars during their first few million years of life. This added detail helps scientists build a clearer picture of how galaxies like NGC 4535 evolve over time.
Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.
Follow us on Google and Google News.