A captivating new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals the spiral galaxy NGC 2566, located 76 million light-years away in the constellation Puppis. This striking galaxy, which appears to gaze directly at us, has earned its nickname as the “cosmic eye” due to its unique almond-shaped appearance caused by its tilted orientation relative to Earth.
At the heart of NGC 2566 lies a prominent bar of stars stretching across the galaxy’s center, from which spiral arms emerge. The tilt of the galaxy from our viewpoint causes its disk to appear elliptical, resembling an eye peering out into space. This angle not only gives the galaxy its distinct shape but also provides astronomers with an exceptional view to study the galaxy’s star clusters and star-forming regions.
The Hubble data are particularly valuable for researchers studying young stars—those just a few million years old. These stars shine brightly in the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, areas to which Hubble is highly sensitive. By analyzing these wavelengths, scientists can determine the ages of the stars in NGC 2566 and track the galaxy’s star formation history. This process also sheds light on the exchange of gas between the stars and the star-forming clouds within the galaxy.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker
NGC 2566 is one of many galaxies that Hubble regularly observes in collaboration with other astronomical observatories, such as the James Webb Space Telescope. While Hubble excels at capturing ultraviolet and visible light, Webb focuses on infrared wavelengths, which can better define the regions of warm, glowing dust surrounding young stars. Additionally, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, a network of 66 radio telescopes, provides detailed images of the cold gas and dust clouds where stars are born.
Together, Hubble, Webb, and ALMA form a powerful trio, offering a multi-faceted view of galaxies like NGC 2566. By combining observations across different wavelengths, astronomers can gain a deeper understanding of the life cycle of stars—from their formation to their eventual death—and the complex processes that govern the evolution of galaxies across the universe.
