The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Hubble Space Telescope has gifted us with another stunning view of the cosmos, this time capturing a remarkable image of NGC 5033, a spiral galaxy that shines brightly thanks to its active galactic nucleus.
NGC 5033, located approximately 40 million light-years away in the Canes Venatici constellation, shares striking similarities with our own Milky Way. Both galaxies stretch across roughly 100,000 light-years and exhibit spiral arms brimming with blue regions, indicating areas of active star formation.
Due to its relative proximity to Earth, NGC 5033 presents astronomers with an excellent opportunity to delve deeper into the intricacies of its glowing nucleus and gain valuable insights into the behavior of galaxies with active cores. The image, shared by NASA Hubble, showcases a close-up shot of this magnificent spiral galaxy, enveloped in spiral arms filled with dark dust and vibrant blue star-forming regions.
The image has sparked widespread admiration on social media, with netizens expressing their awe through comments like “Sensational,” “Smash,” “Fancy,” and “madness.”
Meanwhile, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, currently docked at the International Space Station (ISS), is scheduled to undock and return to Earth on Friday, September 6.
On August 30, NASA announced that Starliner is set to “autonomously undock” from the space station at approximately 6:04 pm EDT (or IST 3:30 am Saturday) to begin its journey home, weather conditions permitting.
After undocking, Starliner is expected to take approximately six hours to reach the landing zone at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The spacecraft is predicted to land on Earth around 9:30 am (IST) on Saturday, September 7.
While Starliner is making its descent, the crew members, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, will remain aboard the space station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew on NASA’s Crew-9 mission, aboard SpaceX Dragon craft, scheduled for February 2025. This mission marks a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight, showcasing the growing role of private companies in space exploration.
