Hubble sees spiral galaxy in Lion's heart | Space photo of the day for Nov. 4, 2025

通过哈勃太空望远镜看到在狮子座的核心区域的螺旋星系|2025年11月4日每日太空照片

Located in the constellation Leo, spiral galaxy NGC 3370 has long been a favorite among astronomers. NGC 3370 is part of a small galaxy group that also other galaxies studied by the Hubble Space Telescope. Studying these galaxies together helps astronomers understand how galaxies interact, evolve and influence one another over cosmic timescales.

螺旋星系NGC 3370位于狮子座，长期以来一直备受天文学家们的关注。NGC 3370是一个小星系群的一部分，该星系群也是哈勃太空望远镜研究的星系群之一。一起研究这些星系有助于天文学家理解星系在宇宙时间尺度上如何相互作用、演化和相互影响。

Spiral galaxies are among the most striking and familiar structures in the universe. Characterized by graceful, winding arms that spiral out from a bright central bulge, these systems are rich with both young and old stars, swirling gas and cosmic dust.

螺旋星系是宇宙中最引人注目和最常见的结构之一。这些星系像优雅、蜿蜒的手臂从明亮的中央凸起处螺旋出来，包含着许多新兴的和古老的恒星、旋转的气体以及宇宙尘埃。

The Milky Way, our own galactic home, is one such spiral, and studying other examples like NGC 3370 provides astronomers with clues about how galaxies form and evolve.

银河系，我们自己的银河系，就是这样的一个螺旋，研究NGC 3370等其他例子为天文学家提供了星系如何形成和演化的线索。

Spiral galaxy NGC 3370 is located 90 million light years away in the Leo constellation.

螺旋星系NGC 3370位于9000万光年外的狮子座区域内。

NGC 3370 is home to two types of celestial landmarks that have helped astronomers chart cosmic distances with precision: Cepheid variable stars and Type la supernovas. Cepheids are pulsating stars whose brightness rises and falls in predictable cycles, the longer the period of pulsation, the more luminous they are. Meanwhile, Type la supernovas occur when a white dwarf star undergoes a thermonuclear explosion, reaching nearly the same peak brightness each time.

NGC 3370是两种天体地标的所在地，两种地标帮助天文学家精确绘制宇宙距离：造父变星和la型超新星。造父变星是脉冲星，其亮度以可预测的周期上升和下降，脉动的周期越长，它们就越亮。与此同时，当白矮星经历热核爆炸时，就会出现la型超新星，每次都达到几乎相同的峰值亮度。

By comparing how bright these objects appear from Earth with how bright they actually are, astronomers can calculate their distances, and in turn, measure how quickly the universe is expanding. Together, these "standard candles" form the backbone of the cosmic distance ladder, a framework that has shaped our modern understanding of cosmic scale and motion.

通过比较这些物体从地球上看起来的亮度和它们实际的亮度，天文学家可以计算出它们到达地球的距离，进而测量宇宙膨胀的速度。这些“标准蜡烛”共同构成了宇宙距离阶梯的主干，这个框架塑造了我们对宇宙尺度和运动的现代理解。

You can learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope and galaxy formation.

你可以了解到更多关于哈勃太空望远镜和星系形成的信息。