According to Digital Trends, the Hubble Space Telescope recently captured a noteworthy moment in the universe. Based on the merged results of two separate exposures, the telescope revealed the bright star BD+17 2217 shining brilliantly against the backdrop of the peculiar galaxy Arp 263.
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The brilliantly shining star BD+17 2217 in the peculiar galaxy Arp 263.
Abnormal galaxies have irregular structures, unlike elliptical or spiral galaxies like our Milky Way. Arp 263 appears diffuse and contains numerous clouds, with some areas brightly lit due to the formation of new stars, while others appear nearly empty.
Such galaxies are often formed due to interactions with other galaxies, which can happen when a large galaxy passes by and pulls the original galaxy out of its original shape. In the case of Arp 263, it is believed to have acquired its peculiar shape through the merger of two galaxies.
Regarding the exceptionally bright “lonely” star, the anomaly lies in the image it produces and the special diffraction spikes emanating from the bright objects. These spikes are caused by the geometric structure of the mirror that Hubble uses to observe distant objects. Typical Hubble images of bright stars usually have four diffraction spikes (compared to six spikes seen in images from the James Webb Space Telescope). However, in this case, Hubble captured an image with up to eight diffraction spikes.
This is because two different datasets were combined to create the image, with each set being captured from a different angle, resulting in a doubling of the number of spikes and delivering a mesmerizingly beautiful image for the Hubble Space Telescope.