An extraordinary new image of the compact blue dwarf galaxy designated Markarian 178 has been acquired by astronomers utilizing the venerable NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
This Hubble image shows the blue compact dwarf galaxy Markarian 178. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / F. Annibali / S. Hong.
Markarian 178, also identified by its catalogue numbers Mrk 178, LEDA 35684, and UGC 6541, is situated approximately 13 million light-years distant within the celestial sphere of Ursa Major. This galaxy spans a diameter of 5,700 light-years.
“Mrk 178 represents one among an extensive compilation of over 1,500 Markarian galaxies,” as articulated by the Hubble astronomers in a recent declaration. “These celestial entities derive their designation from the Armenian astrophysicist Benjamin Markarian, who meticulously amassed a catalogue of galaxies exhibiting a remarkable luminosity in ultraviolet wavelengths.”
“While the predominant aspect of the galaxy appears blue due to a profusion of young, incandescent stars with minimal intervening dust, Mrk 178 exhibits a reddish characteristic stemming from a congregation of colossal stars. These are particularly concentrated within the most luminous, ruddy sector proximate to the galaxy’s periphery.”
“This cerulean nebula serves as the domicile for a significant number of uncommon celestial bodies known as Wolf-Rayet stars.”
“Wolf-Rayet stars are characterized as massive stellar entities that expel their outer envelopes through potent stellar winds,” the researchers elucidated. “Given the substantial presence of Wolf-Rayet stars within Mrk 178, the intense emission lines originating from the heated stellar winds of these stars are conspicuously imprinted upon the galaxy’s spectral signature.”
“Specifically, ionized hydrogen and oxygen contribute to the perception of a reddish coloration in Mrk 178 within this particular depiction, acquired through the deployment of specialized light filters from the Hubble instrument.”
“Massive stars transition into the Wolf-Rayet phase immediately preceding their ultimate collapse into black holes or neutron stars.”
“Due to the ephemeral existence of Wolf-Rayet stars, lasting merely a few million years, we infer that a recent genesis of stellar formation must have been instigated within Mrk 178.”
“At first examination, the causal factor remains indeterminate. Mrk 178 does not appear to possess any neighboring galaxies in close proximity that could have perturbed its gaseous constituents to facilitate new star creation.”
“Conversely, our hypothesis posits that either a gaseous cloud collided with Mrk 178, or its internal gas may have been agitated as the galaxy traversed the intergalactic medium, thereby energizing this diminutive galaxy with a wave of brilliant nascent stars.”
