Hubble Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530 Lupus
NASA / ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope observes the blue dotted spiral galaxy NGC 5530, located 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus. This “flocculent” spiral boasts patchy, fluffy-looking arms that aren’t as tightly wound or structured, giving it a softer, more delicate appearance in images, almost like cosmic cotton candy.


Hubble Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530 Lupus
When you look at Hubble images of NGC 5530, that bright central glow might trick you into thinking it’s an active galaxy with a hungry black hole. Nope! It’s just that pesky foreground star from our galaxy playing a trick on your eyes. This kind of cosmic overlap is a fun reminder of how layered and busy the universe can be. NGC 5530’s fluffiness is due to bursts of star formation lighting up its arms in a scattered pattern, rather than organized waves of star birth seen in barred spirals.

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The constellation Lupus isn’t as famous as Orion or the Big Dipper, but it’s a southern sky gem. In mythology, it represents a wolf, and NGC 5530 is one of its stellar treasures. Since it’s south of the celestial equator, it’s best seen from the Southern Hemisphere—sorry, northern folks, you’ll need a trip or a remote telescope!