Galactic Glam Shot: Hubble Snaps Galaxy NGC 24 And Its Hidden Dark Side

Last Updated:August 28, 2025, 23:26 IST

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured NGC 24, a spiral galaxy in Sculptor.

Most of NGC 24’s mass- nearly 80%- lies hidden in an invisible halo of dark matter. (Image Credit: X)

NASA released a striking new image of NGC 24, a spiral galaxy located around 25 million light-years away in the constellation of Sculptor. Taken with the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), the image showcases young blue stars, dark streaks of cosmic dust and glowing red clouds of hydrogen gas spread across the galaxy’s spiral arms. In the background, several distant galaxies appear, making it a true cosmic “group shot."

NASA’s Hubble team described its latest image as a “Galactic group shot!", writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Though the spiral galaxy NGC 24 takes centerstage in this Hubble image, many more distant galaxies shine around its perimeter."

Astronomers believe that most of NGC 24’s mass- nearly 80%- lies hidden in an invisible halo of dark matter, a mysterious substance detected only through its gravitational pull. Dark matter plays a crucial role in explaining why galaxies like NGC 24 and even the Milky Way rotate much faster at their edges than visible matter alone can account for.

What Is The Hubble Space Telescope?

Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope is a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Orbiting outside Earth’s atmosphere, it avoids atmospheric distortion and captures some of the clearest and most detailed images of the universe ever taken. Over three decades, Hubble has helped scientists in measuring the expansion of the universe, studying the birth and death of stars and investigate dark matter.

What Is Galaxy NGC 24?

NGC 24 is a spiral galaxy spanning about 40,000 light-years across, first discovered in 1785 by British astronomer William Herschel. Located in the constellation of Sculptor, it shines as a smaller cousin to our own Milky Way galaxy. While its visible features- star clusters, dust lanes, and glowing gas- create a picturesque cosmic scene, its “dark side" lies in the vast halo of dark matter enveloping it, which scientists say shapes both its rotation and evolution.

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First Published:

August 28, 2025, 23:26 IST

News viral Galactic Glam Shot: Hubble Snaps Galaxy NGC 24 And Its Hidden Dark Side

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