Stunning image from Hubble telescope shows Milky Way-like galaxy

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The galaxy “most often referred to as LEDA 89996 is a classic example of a spiral galaxy,” says the NASA press release. “The galaxy is much like our own galaxy, the Milky Way.”

NASA calls LEDA 89996 a “disk-shaped galaxy” as it reveals “the winding structure of the spiral arms.”

“Dark patches in these spiral arms are in fact dust and gas — the raw materials for new stars. The many young stars that form in these regions make the spiral arms appear bright and bluish.”

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The agency says that observations were made with the help of the “high resolution channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.”

According to Hubble estimates, the galaxy is located “in a vibrant area of the night sky” within the Dorado constellation notable for having a southern ecliptic pole. LEDA 89996 also appears very close to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy and a satellite of the Milky Way.

Launched on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Telescope is 13.3 m long, weighs 10,886 kg, and is 4.2 m in diameter. It has traveled a total of 3 billion miles (at a speed of 17,000 mph) along a low Earth orbit, at an altitude of around 340 miles, according to NASA.

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