A
small spiral galaxy's outlines shows up silhouetted against a larger background
galaxy, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The
unique arrangement allows Hubble to see skeletal tendrils of dust extending
beyond the smaller galaxy's main disk. Such tendrils appear as barren branches
without stars, and usually don't show up because there is nothing to illuminate
them. Astronomers have never observed dust so far from the visible edge of a
galaxy.
The
background galaxy is roughly 780 million light-years away, and about 10 times
the size of the foreground galaxy. Together, the galaxies are known as 2MASX J00482185-2507365. The individual stars speckled across the
image belong mostly to a nearby spiral galaxy NGC 253, which is out of view to
the right.
— Hubble Heritage Team and SPACE.com
Staff
Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble
Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
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