The Hubble Space Telescope’s recent capture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 presents a vivid view of this cosmic wonder, located 49 million light-years away in the constellation Dorado. This galaxy showcases the mesmerizing structures and intense activities of a barred spiral, marked by a bright core and dynamic arms.

NGC 1672’s barred spiral structure is characterized by a central bar of stars extending from the core, with two massive spiral arms curving outward. Along these arms, clouds of hydrogen gas glow a vibrant red, ionized by the radiation from young, newly-formed stars within. The galaxy’s central region features intense radiation, fueled by extremely hot, newly formed stars and an active galactic nucleus (AGN). This AGN, powered by the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s center, generates powerful X-ray emissions from the hot matter swirling around in its accretion disk, making NGC 1672 a Seyfert galaxy known for its highly active core.

A special highlight in this image is the fleeting appearance of a supernova—SN 2017GAX—which appears as a small green dot below a spiral arm. This Type I supernova was the result of a giant star’s core collapse, creating an intense burst of light visible in only one of Hubble’s six-image composite. Astronomers focused on capturing this moment to study the supernova as it faded, hoping to identify any possible companion star of the exploded progenitor.

Interestingly, NGC 1672 was also recently observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which provided an even deeper look at the intricate dust structures and the ring of gas in its spiral arms. JWST’s observations, along with Hubble’s, are giving astronomers unprecedented insights into the life cycles of stars and the dynamic processes at the cores of active galaxies like NGC 1672.