This week's image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a dusty galaxy located in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus. This might look like a typical galaxy from this angle, but it has a secret.
The lane of dust is obscuring the heart of the galaxy, making it appear to be nothing more than a normal spiral galaxy viewed from the side. Astronomers quickly discovered that there was more to it than meets the eye when they looked across the spectrum.
The visible light wavelength is the same as what the human eye can see. The Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 were used to take this image.
It was necessary to look through a different wavelength to understand more about the structure of this galaxy. In the 1980s, the stars were observed through clouds of dust, which allowed them to see structures beneath. The bright glowing heart of the Seyfert galaxy was revealed by observations at these wavelengths.
The data collected for the study of active galactic nuclei is used in the Hubble image. Due to the density of stars in the center of the galaxies, active galactic nuclei are brighter than can be accounted for. The regions are brighter than the rest of the universe.
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