NASA Hubble Captures Stunning Photo of NGC 3318: A Galaxy in the Vela Constellation

The Hubble Telescope has taken yet another spectacular photo of space on Friday. This is the galaxy NGC 3318, a swirling image located inside the Vela constellation.

Many space fans are probably familiar with the Hubble Space Telescope, referred to as "Hubble" for short. This gigantic space observatory is a project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA).

Hubble regularly gifts its fans with amazing space photos from distant galaxies. Its most recent update features a celestial body that might be linked to Greek mythology.

NASA Hubble Photos: The Galaxy NGC 3318

Hubble tweeted its newest photo with a description to "raise your cosmic sails!" The team behind the space telescope described the galaxy as a "part of the constellation Vela...which was originally part of a much larger constellation known as Argo Navis after the ship Argo from Greek mythology!"

Raise your cosmic sails ⛵

This #HubbleFriday image shows the galaxy NGC 3318, which is part of the constellation Vela…which was originally part of a much larger constellation known as Argo Navis after the ship Argo from Greek mythology!

Read more: https://t.co/XcXphx94J9 pic.twitter.com/R1sR0xJsSg
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) January 21, 2022

NASA further explained that NGC 3318 is "lazily draped" across the photo, which "almost resembles a ship's sails billowing in a gentle breeze." The image features a lot of colorful stars between white, gold, and red, which are all encompassed inside a silvery dust cloud. Its core can be seen on the center glowing bright yellow.

The spiral galaxy is estimated to be 115 million light-years away from Earth. For reference, a single light-year is around 5.88 trillion miles or 9.46 trillion kilometers.

NASA Hubble Telescope

Digitrends pointed out that Hubble is over 30 years old now, having been launched in 1990. But despite its age, it remains as one of the most critical tools for astronomy and research. A lot of fans also enjoy its awesome gallery of photos, which is shared with the general public.

It is worth noting that the telescope recently passed a milestone for "having been operational for one billion seconds." During this period, Hubble created many discoveries and uncovered vital information about the distant universe.

Meteor Sighting 2022: Giant Fireballs Spotted

In another space-related event, space fans might be interested in the meteor shower that happened earlier this week. The American Meteoroids Society reported that over 130 people witnessed an impressive fireball on the skies of Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and more.

According to astrologists, the celestial show was also visible in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Nebraska. One fan shared a YouTube video of the fireball.

For reference, fireballs are exceptionally bright meteors that fall from the sky. They usually have a visual magnitude of -3 or brighter at the observer's zenith. These are the most noticeable shooting stars in the sky with a long flaming tail.

Note that this recent meteor shower is only one of the many celestial events which are expected to drop later this year.

Fans interested in watching more space images and events are recommended to bookmark Hubble and NASA's Twitter page. Hopefully, more updates might be available later this week.