Hubble Snaps A Pinwheel

Astronomers using the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope snapped this gorgeous image of NGC1309, a pinwheel shaped galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus. Those of you with access to a telescope might head outside early to view this object (once the bright moon vacates the sky… say… the middle of next week). NGC 1309 was home to supernova whose light reached Earth in September 2002. Astronomers used this information to help gauge the expansion rate of the universe.