The universe is still much of a mystery to many people. At the same time, there is also much beauty in it. One such beauty is festive nebulas seen from the Milky Way satellite galaxy.
The festive nebulas can be found in the Small Magellanic Cloud. This is a small satellite galaxy that is revolving the Milky Way. Because of the intense radiation coming from the central stars near it, the nebulas are seen to be red in color.
The nebulas are together known as NGC 248. The nebulas taken together are about 60 light years long and 20 light years wide. The nebulas are part of a large number of glowing nebulas in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The dwarf galaxy itself is about 200,000 light years away.
To observe the nebulas, the NASA Hubble Space Telescope has been used. The observation has been part of the Small Magellanic cloud Investigation of Dust and Gas Evolution (SMUDGE). The study is being made to understand how dust in the Small Magellanic Cloud could be different from dust in the Milky Way.
The dust in the Small Magellanic Cloud is said to be the same as what can be seen in the early universe, according to Phys Org. This is because the Small Megellanic Cloud has fewer heavy elements than the Milky Way has. The Small Magellanic Cloud could be used to help in studying how the early universe was.
Dr. Karin Sandstrom, the principal investigator in the study and from the University of California San Diego, said that the study is also important in knowing more about the Milky Way. Knowing the history of our galaxy would help in understanding how the universe was formed. Studying dust in the universe can help in knowing how stars and even galaxies have been formed, as NASA reports.
While the study is still being done, the researchers have found the beauty of the festive nebulas in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The festive nebulas are seen from the Milky Way satellite galaxy. Also seen earlier is a galaxy in a state of transformation.
