NGC 1275 – Hubble Space Telescope Image
NGC 1275 – Hubble Space Telescope Image
NGC 1275 burns at the centre of this Hubble Space Telescope view, its brilliant white core enclosed by softer veils of blue, red and muted orange. The galaxy’s concentrated light stands out sharply against the dark field, while faint wisps and uneven bands of colour carry its presence beyond the luminous centre.
Located in the constellation Perseus, NGC 1275 is an active galaxy classified as a Seyfert galaxy, some 250 million light years from Earth. That immense distance lends particular force to the image: what first appears to be a compact glow resolves into a complex structure, surrounded in the frame by scattered points of light and much quieter traces of distant-looking form.
A closer look
The central region holds the eye, but its light is far from uniform. A smooth white intensity gives way to cooler blue patches and warmer red-brown material, with wispy structures curling around the core before fading into blackness. These subtle transitions prevent the galaxy from reading as a simple disc; it appears layered, irregular and almost smoke-like at its margins.
Across the wider field, sharp points of light interrupt the darkness. Several are especially prominent towards the upper left, while a finely defined source near the upper edge has distinct radiating points. To the left of NGC 1275, dim blue patches and a soft filamentary trace emerge only gradually. In the lower-left quadrant, a small gathering of warmer orange points provides a quiet counterweight to the white centre.
Other details become apparent across a large presentation: a faint diagonal form in the lower-right quadrant, delicate streaks near the bottom edge and a barely perceptible arc towards the upper right. Their restraint is part of the image’s character. The field shifts continually between concentrated brilliance and structures poised at the threshold of visibility.
Image details and provenance
- Subject: NGC 1275
- Object type: Active galaxy (AGN); Seyfert galaxy
- Constellation: Perseus
- Distance from Earth: 250 million light years
- Telescope: Hubble Space Telescope
- Original release date: 20 August 2008, 19:00
- Image credit: NASA , ESA and Andy Fabian (University of Cambridge, UK)
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