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A field of galaxies. UGC 8091 is at the top and center of the image. It appears as a haze of stars through which more distant galaxies are visible. Two, bright, pinkish-red nebulae are also visible.

Dwarf Irregular Galaxy UGC 8091

Hubble has captured the festive bundle of lights known as UGC 8091. UGC 8091, also known as GR 8, lies around seven million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. It is a dwarf irregular galaxy: a comparatively small, low-mass galaxy without a distinct or uniform shape. The blossoming patches of red represent light emitted by excited hydrogen molecules in hot, energetic stars that have formed in recent starbursts. The other glittering lights on show are a mix of older stars.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, ESA, Yumi Choi (NSF's NOIRLab), Karoline Gilbert (STScI), Julianne Dalcanton (Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Inst., UWashington)
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