Hubble Space Telescope Looks at Spiral Galaxy NGC 34

NGC 34 lies approximately 271 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus.

This galaxy was discovered in 1886 by the American astronomer Frank Muller and then observed again later that year by the American astronomer Lewis Swift.

Otherwise known as NGC 17, LEDA 781 or Mrk 938, it has a diameter of about 165,000 light-years.

NGC 34 is the result of a merger between two massive spiral galaxies.

“NGC 34 looks more like an otherworldly, bioluminescent creature from the deep oceans than a galaxy,” Hubble astronomers said.

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Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Adamo et al.

This Hubble image shows NGC 34, a spiral galaxy located 271 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus.

Source / Image Courtesy

This video pans over NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations of the spiral galaxy NGC 3344 that lies about 20 million light-years away.

The galaxy is seen face-on, allowing us to see its spiral arms and the bright core. Because of the many filters used to create this image — ranging from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared — the bright young stars glowing blue and the red regions of dense gas and dust are visible.