APOD: 2025 November 5 Б Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 from Hubble
Explanation:
Is this what our own Milky Way Galaxy looks like from far away?
Similar in size and grand design to our
home Galaxy
(although without the central bar), spiral galaxy
NGC 3370
lies about 100 million
light-years
away toward the constellation of the Lion
(
Leo).
Recorded
here in exquisite detail by the
Hubble Space Telescope,
the big, beautiful face-on spiral is not only
photogenic, but has proven
sharp
enough to study individual stars known as
Cepheids.
These
pulsating stars have been used to accurately determine NGC 3370's distance.
NGC 3370
was chosen for this study because in 1994 the
spiral galaxy was also home to a well studied stellar explosion -- a
Type Ia supernova.
Combining the known distance to this
standard candle supernova,
based on the Cepheid measurements, with observations of
supernovas
at even greater distances has helped to reveal the size and
expansion rate
of the entire Universe itself.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
