Hubble Studies Star Ages in Colorful Galaxy
The Hubble Space Telescope continues to captivate astronomers and the public alike with its stunning imagery and groundbreaking discoveries. A recent image captured by Hubble showcases the spiral galaxy NGC 6000, located an impressive 102 million light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. This vivid portrayal highlights the galaxy’s glowing yellow center, indicative of older, cooler stars, contrasted with the brilliant blue outskirts, home to younger, more massive stars. The color variations in the image reflect the differing ages and temperatures of the stars, showcasing Hubble’s capability to reveal the intricate tapestry of star formation and evolution within galaxies.
Hubble’s observations of NGC 6000 are particularly significant as they coincide with its ongoing survey of supernova explosions in nearby galaxies. Notably, NGC 6000 has hosted two supernovae: SN 2007ch and SN 2010as. By utilizing Hubble’s sensitive detectors, researchers can capture the faint remnants of these cosmic events, which provide crucial insights into the progenitor stars’ masses and their potential companions. In a fascinating detail, the image also captures an asteroid from our solar system, which appears as four dashed lines across the galaxy due to multiple exposures taken during Hubble’s observation. Each exposure utilized specific filters to collect distinct wavelengths of light, allowing astronomers to study the stars’ colors and further understand the galaxy’s stellar population.
Since its launch in 1990, Hubble has transformed our understanding of the universe, providing invaluable data that has shaped modern astrophysics. The telescope’s ability to observe celestial phenomena in unprecedented detail has not only advanced scientific knowledge but also inspired a cultural fascination with the cosmos. As Hubble approaches its 35th anniversary, its legacy as a pioneering instrument in space exploration is firmly established, with ongoing contributions to our comprehension of star formation, galaxy evolution, and the fundamental workings of the universe.
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2 min read
Hubble Studies Star Ages in Colorful Galaxy
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy called NGC 6000.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Filippenko; Acknowledgment: M. H. Özsaraç
Stars of all ages are on display in this NASA/ESA
Hubble Space Telescope
image of the sparkling spiral galaxy called NGC 6000, located 102 million light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
NGC 6000 has a glowing yellow center and glittering blue outskirts. These colors reflect differences in the average ages, masses, and temperatures of the galaxy’s stars. At the heart of the galaxy, the stars tend to be older and smaller. Less massive stars are cooler than more massive stars, and somewhat counterintuitively, cooler stars are redder, while hotter stars are bluer. Farther out along NGC 6000’s spiral arms, brilliant star clusters host young, massive stars that appear distinctly blue.
Hubble collected the data for this image while surveying the sites of recent
supernova
explosions in nearby galaxies. NGC 6000 hosted two recent supernovae: SN 2007ch in 2007 and SN 2010as in 2010. Using Hubble’s sensitive detectors, researchers can discern the faint glow of supernovae years after the initial explosion. These observations help constrain the masses of supernovae progenitor stars and can indicate if they had any stellar companions.
By zooming in to the right side of the galaxy’s disk in this image, you can see a set of four thin yellow and blue lines. These lines are an asteroid in our solar system that was drifting across Hubble’s
field of view
as it gazed at NGC 6000. The four lines are due to four different exposures recorded one after another with slight pauses in between. Image processors combined these four exposures to create the final image. The lines appear dashed with alternating colors because each exposure used a filter to collect very specific wavelengths of light, in this case around red and blue. Having these separate exposures of particular wavelengths is important to study and compare stars by their colors — but it also makes asteroid interlopers very obvious!
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Media Contact
:
Claire Andreoli
(
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
)
NASA’s
Goddard Space Flight Center
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Greenbelt, MD
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Last Updated
Nov 14, 2025
Editor
Andrea Gianopoulos
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Related Terms
Hubble Space Telescope
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
Spiral Galaxies
Stars
The Universe
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