Resting near the centre of the northerly constellation Cepheus, high
in the northern sky, is the barred spiral galaxy UGC 11861, the subject
of the latest Hubble Picture of the Week.
UGC 11861 is located 69 million light-years away from Earth — which
may seem a vast distance, but it’s just right for Hubble to grab this
majestic shot of the galaxy’s spiral arms and the short but brightly glowing bar in its centre. Among the cloudy gases and the dark wisps of dust, this galaxy is actively forming new stars, visible in the glowing blue patches in its outer arms.
This activity has resulted in three supernova
explosions being spotted in and nearby UGC 11861, in 1995, 1997 and
2011. The earlier two were both Type II supernovae, a kind which results
from the collapse of a massive star at the end of its life. This Hubble image was made from data collected to study Type II supernovae and their environments.
