Hubble Captured a Neighboring Galaxy of the Milky Way

The powerful Hubble space telescope has photographed an "atypical" galaxy, ESO 300-16, which is considered one of the galactic neighbors of the Milky Way.

This was reported by the European Space Agency.

"This galaxy, located at a distance of 28.7 million light-years from Earth in the Eridanus constellation, is a ghostly cluster of stars resembling a sparkling cloud. The gallery of distant galaxies and stars in the foreground complements this astronomical portrait, captured by an enhanced observation camera," the agency's statement reads.

According to scientists, the ESO 300-16 galaxy is considered "atypical" because such cosmic systems are characterized by a "chaotic and amorphous" shape due to unique gravitational interactions between stars and matter, both within themselves and with other galaxies.

Scientists continue to observe the galactic neighbors of the Milky Way using the powerful Hubble telescope.

Approximately three-quarters of galaxies, which, according to research, are within 10 megaparsecs from Earth, are well accessible to the optical capabilities of the Hubble telescope, opening up great possibilities for identifying the brightest stars and determining more accurate distances to these galaxies.

Recalling that in June of this year, scientists from Cornell University in the United States, led by astronomer Akshaya Suresh, began scientific work to detect and record possible extraterrestrial signals in the Milky Way galaxy.

Together, scientists have launched a project called Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS), aimed at searching for unusual radio emission pulses in our galaxy.

The research was focused directly in the center of the Milky Way galaxy, around the black hole "Sagittarius A."

"Sagittarius A" is one of the best places in the Milky Way for broadcasting wide, repetitive radio signals to anyone listening," the researchers emphasize.

In this area, there are likely natural objects that have the ability to send repetitive radio signals, which could indicate a potential direction of a habitable exoplanet.

According to scientists, the galactic center is an extremely "lively" place with a large amount of noise generated by stars and dense clouds of dust and gas. Therefore, isolating an artificial signal from the natural "cacophony of light" emanating from "Sagittarius" could prove to be a challenging task for Earth's scientists.

Recalling that last month, NASA launched a joint project with Canadian physicist and artist Samuel Peralt titled "Lunar Codex." As part of the initiative, a multimedia archive containing works of art created by Earthlings, including works by Ukrainian artist Olesya Dzhurayeva, is planned to be sent into space.