NGC 5068 is a face-on barred spiral galaxy, meaning we see its spectacular disc straight on, in the constellation Virgo. It lies at a staggering distance of approximately 22 million light-years from Earth and boasts a diameter exceeding 45,000 light-years.
This majestic galaxy is a hotbed of star formation, with swirling clouds of gas and dust acting as stellar nurseries. The most recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have provided astronomers with an unprecedented view of these stellar birthing grounds.
JWST’s infrared vision pierces through the dust clouds, revealing the intricate details of star formation regions and the glowing embers of young stars. This data, when combined with visible light observations from Hubble, offers a truly comprehensive picture of NGC 5068.
Here are some additional details about NGC 5068:
Type: SB(s)d (barred spiral galaxy with a relatively loose spiral structure)
Apparent magnitude: 10.5 (faint, requiring a telescope to see)
Apparent size: 7.2′ × 6.3′ (relatively large on the night sky)
Redshift: 0.002228 (indicates it is moving away from us at a slow velocity)
While no supernovae have been observed in NGC 5068 yet, a luminous red nova, designated AT 2020hat, was discovered in 2020.
Image credits: The SIGNS Survey Team and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA. Copyright: NOIRLab.
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