Originally discovered in 1834 by astronomer Sir John Herschel, NGC 248 is located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, located about 200,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Tucana. The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy that is a satellite of our Milky Way. The image is part of a study called the Small Magellanic Cloud Investigation of Dust and Gas Evolution (SMIDGE). The dwarf satellite galaxy contains many bright hydrogen nebulae, including NGC 248. Intense radiation from the bright central stars heats the hydrogen in each nebula, causing them to glow red. The main researcher of the study, Dr. Karin Sandstrom from the University of California, San Diego, said: “The Small Magellanic Cloud has one-fifth to one-tenth the amount of heavy elements that the Milky Way has. Because it is so close, astronomers can study its dust in great detail and learn what the dust was like earlier in the universe’s history.” “It is also important for understanding the history of our galaxy. Most of the star formation happened earlier in the universe, at a time when there was a much smaller percentage of heavy elements than there is now. Dust is a critical part of how a galaxy works, how it forms stars.” The image is part of a study called the Small Magellanic Cloud Investigation of Dust and Gas Evolution (SMIDGE). The data used in this image were taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys in September 2015.
