Hubble captures a striking image of the spiral galaxy M88

There are many galaxies in the universe, and some are more interesting than others due to their shape and composition. This is the case for M88, a spiral galaxy located about 63 million light-years from Earth that was recently observed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Indeed, this galaxy, which measures about 121,000 light-years in diameter, belongs to the Virgo Cluster, a region containing more than a thousand galaxies held together by gravity. In this image recently released by NASA, a bright light can be seen at its center. This glow is caused by a group of reddish stars orbiting a supermassive black hole with a mass estimated at 100 million times that of the Sun.

It is also possible to observe symmetrical spiral arms composed of several clusters of pink and blue stars and dust clouds. However, although this image is remarkable, this galaxy may be headed for a tragic fate.

Indeed, the galaxies located in the Virgo Cluster orbit the cluster's center. According to astronomers, in 200 to 300 million years, M88 will be very close to M87, an elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole about 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun. During this event, gas will be ejected from M88 and its shape will change considerably, which could alter its composition and its ability to form new stars.