HUBBLE ATLAS

Galaxies

Narrated Zoom into GRB170817A in NGC 4993

October 16, 2017 · NASA

Original on NASA ↗

This narrated movie zooms into the constellation Hydra to focus on the galaxy NGC 4993. Within this galaxy, a neutron star collision generated gravitational waves and an associated gamma-ray burst (GRB). It also resulted in a glow called a kilonova that was visible to telescopes including Hubble. Hubble images taken on August 22, 26 and 28 show the glow fading over time.