Assembling the Cosmos: Hubble Reveals How Dwarf Galaxies Shape the Largest Galaxies

NGC 5238, a dwarf irregular galaxy imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope, displays a complex structure despite its unassuming appearance. Located in the constellation Canes Venatici, it is theorized to have undergone a significant interaction with a satellite galaxy, providing insights into the process of galaxy formation and evolution.

The galaxy featured in this Hubble Space Telescope image is the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 5238, located 14.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. Its unexciting, blob-like appearance, resembling more an oversized star cluster than a galaxy, belies a complicated structure that has been the subject of much research by astronomers. Here, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is able to pick out the galaxy’s countless stars, as well as its associated globular clusters — the glowing spots both inside and around the galaxy that are swarmed by yet more stars.

Galactic Encounter Hypothesis