Hubble Spies Faint Irregular Galaxy

Explore Hubble

Hubble Home
Overview

About Hubble
The History of Hubble
Hubble Timeline
Why Have a Telescope in Space?
Hubble by the Numbers
At the Museum
FAQs

Impact & Benefits

Hubble’s Impact & Benefits
Science Impacts
Cultural Impact
Technology Benefits
Impact on Human Spaceflight
Astro Community Impacts

Science

Hubble Science
Science Themes
Science Highlights
Science Behind Discoveries
Universe Uncovered
Hubble’s Partners in Science
Hubble & Citizen Science
AI & Hubble Science
Explore the Night Sky

Observatory

Hubble Observatory
Hubble Design
Mission Operations
Science Operations
Astronaut Missions to Hubble
Hubble vs Webb

Team

Hubble Team
Career Aspirations
Hubble Astronauts

Multimedia

Images
Videos
Online Activities
e-Books
Sonifications
Podcasts
3D Hubble Models
Lithographs
Fact Sheets
Posters
Hubble on the NASA App
Glossary

News

Hubble News
Social Media
Media Resources
35th Anniversary

More

Online Activities

1 min read
Hubble Spies Faint Irregular Galaxy

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image captures the faint glow of the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 490-017.
NASA, ESA, R. Tully (University of Hawaii); Image Processing: G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 490-017, roughly 12,000 light-years in diameter and some 23 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. The galaxy’s low surface brightness makes it appear as a faint, starry swarm behind brighter foreground stars that are easily recognized by their diffraction spikes. Numerous red, orange, and beige dots are distant galaxies peppering the black background, many exhibiting distinct spiral structure.
The data in this image of ESO 490-017 was part of a Hubble observing program that looked at the movement of galaxies and galaxy clusters through space. Matter in the universe is distributed unevenly, and the gravitational influence of that matter drives the “cosmic flow” or movement of large-scale structures in the universe.
Hubble is uniquely capable of providing distances to nearby galaxies like ESO 490-017 by measuring the luminosities of low-mass red giant stars as “standard candles”. The observing program also provided a legacy archive of the types of stars in local galaxies.

Facebook logo

@NASAHubble

@NASAHubble

Instagram logo

@NASAHubble

Media Contact:
Claire AndreoliNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MDclaire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Share

Details

Last Updated

May 27, 2026

Editor

Andrea Gianopoulos

Location

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Related Terms

Hubble Space Telescope
Goddard Space Flight Center
Irregular Galaxies
The Universe

Keep Exploring
Discover More Topics From Hubble

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble’s Galaxies

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

View Source