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Hubble Space Telescope Image of NGC 4710

Hubble Space Telescope Image of NGC 4710
The magnificent galaxy NGC 4710 is tilted nearly edge-on to our view from Earth. This perspective allows astronomers to easily distinguish the central bulge of stars from its pancake-flat disk of stars, dust, and gas. Like the yellow yolk on a fried egg, the central bulge extends outside of the central disk. Dark dust lanes – raw material for future generations of stars and planets – also appear confined to the central disk. What's striking in the image is a ghostly "X" pattern of stars. This is due to the inclined orbits of the stars in the galaxy's central bar-like structure. Located 65 million light-years away, NGC 4710 is a member of the giant Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It can be seen as a dim, 11th-magnitude, spindle-like smudge in a medium-sized amateur telescope. This natural-color photo was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys on January 15, 2006.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    12h 49m 38.96s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    15° 9' 55.8"
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 4710
  • Release Date
    November 18, 2009
  • Science Release
    Galaxy on Edge
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and P. Goudfrooij (STScI)

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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