Space
Sextans’ Hidden Gem: NGC 3156 and Its Intriguing Celestial Secrets
By Rahul Somvanshi
Sep 19, 2023
The Hubble Space Telescope recently unveiled a captivating picture of the lenticular galaxy NGC 3156.
NGC 3156 is situated about 73 million light-years away in the Sextans constellation.
Lenticular galaxies bridge the gap between elliptical and spiral galaxies.
The galaxy seems to have consumed a higher-than-average percentage of stars by its central black hole.
Sextans is named after the sextant, an astronomical tool with historical significance.
Islamic scholars developed astronomical sextants centuries ago.
Modern technology has replaced sextants with more precise instruments.
Andrea Gianopoulos from NASA described the image as "dream-like."
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