Hubble's 'HD' recreation of renowned astronomer William Herschel's two century-old discovery!

Image courtesy: ESA/Hubble/NASA

New Delhi: What renowned astronomer William Herschel discovered in April 1789 has been rediscovered by NASA's Hubble two centuries later!

A bright spiral galaxy named NGC 4707, lying roughly 22 million light-years from Earth, has been chased down by Hubble after all this time, that too in far greater detail than ever.

NGC 4707 resides in the constellation of Canes Venatici or The Hunting Dog.

Shedding its 'high definition' light on the galaxy, Hubble has helped scientists “appreciate the intricacies and characteristics of NGC 4707 as never before.”

According to NASA, Herschel himself reportedly described NGC 4707 as a “small, stellar” galaxy; while it is classified as a spiral (type Sm), its overall shape, center, and spiral arms are very loose and undefined, and its central bulge is either very small or non-existent. It instead appears as a rough sprinkling of stars and bright flashes of blue on a dark canvas.

The blue smudges seen across the frame highlight regions of recent or ongoing star formation, with newborn stars glowing in bright, intense shades of cyan and turquoise.