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Dwarf Galaxy NGC 4449

Clumpy, irregular, cloud-like dwarf galaxy in a roughly rectangular shape is speckled with small, bright, blue points of light and larger, light pink patches throughout. Dark brown and milky white areas are also smudged throughout the center of the galaxy. The galaxy appears against a mostly black background lightly dotted with tiny white, blue and red stars and galaxies.

This is an image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of NGC 4449, one of the dwarf galaxies in the Galaxies Losing Oxygen via Winds (GLOW) study. Researchers found that dwarf galaxies can hold onto only a small fraction of the oxygen made by stars. Energy from the low-mass galaxies’ massive stars and galactic winds unleashed by supernovae are apparently more effective at driving out the oxygen than current models predict.

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About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    12:28:09.48
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    44:05:56.41
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Canes Venatici
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    12 million light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is 5.1 arcmin across (about 18,000 light-years)

About the Data

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    ACS
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F435W, F555W, F658N, F814W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 4449
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Dwarf Galaxy
  • Release Date
    November 2, 2026
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Uncovers Case of Missing Oxygen in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage–ESA/Hubble Collaboration, Alessandra Aloisi (STScI, ESA)

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    tif (140.74 MB)
  • Full Res (JPG), 8736 × 5630
    jpg (53.84 MB)
  • 2000 × 1289
    jpg (2.55 MB)
Clumpy, irregular, cloud-like dwarf galaxy in a roughly rectangular shape is speckled with small, bright, blue points of light and larger, light pink patches throughout. Dark brown and milky white areas are also smudged throughout the center of the galaxy. The galaxy appears against a mostly black background lightly dotted with tiny white, blue and red stars and galaxies.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F435W Green: F555W Red: F658N Orange: F814W

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Details

Last Updated
Nov 02, 2026
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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