Galactic
29. wreckage
in Stephan’s Quintet
A clash among members of a famous galaxy quintet reveals an assortment of stars across a wide colour
range, from young, blue stars to aging, red stars.
This portrait of Stephan’s Quintet, also known as the Hickson Compact Group 92, was taken by the new
Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) aboard Hubble. Stephan’s Quintet, as the name implies, is a group of five
galaxies. The name, however, is a bit of a misnomer. Studies have shown that group member NGC 7320,
at upper left, is actually a foreground galaxy that is about seven times closer to Earth than the rest of the
group.
Three of the galaxies have distorted shapes, elongated spiral arms, and long, gaseous tidal tails
containing myriad star clusters, proof of their close encounters. These interactions have sparked a frenzy
of star birth in the central pair of galaxies. This drama is being played out against a rich backdrop of
faraway galaxies.
The image, taken in visible and near-infrared light, showcases WFC3’s broad wavelength range. The
colours trace the ages of the stellar populations, showing that star birth occurred at diffe