The galaxy, officially known as NGC 2442, has been nicknamed the Meathook Galaxy due to its irregular features. Two coiling arms appear to stretch out from its core, creating a winding, snake-like effect. Viewed from Earth, the galaxy sits in the southern constellation of Volans, the Flying Fish.<\/p>\n
Snapped by NASA's Hubble telescope, the galaxy is located a mind-boggling 50 million light-years away.<\/p>\n
In more earthly terms, NGC 2442 is located some 293,931,270,000,000,000,000 miles away.<\/p>\n
The galaxy measures about 75,000 light-years across and its shape is attributed to an encounter with a smaller galaxy.<\/p>\n
And one of its dusty spiral arms was host to a supernova eruption that flared up in March 2015.<\/p>\n
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The supernova 2015F was unusually bright, enough to be seen with a small telescope.<\/p>\n
And although the supernova was detected only five years ago, it erupted back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth.<\/p>\n
It then took the light from the explosion tens of millions of years to reach us.<\/p>\n
The supernova was most likely a Type Ia explosion - a type of stellar supernova driven by a white dwarf star.<\/p>\n
Supernovas are the biggest and most devastating explosions in the known Universe.<\/p>\n
This unbalanced the star and triggered runaway nuclear fusion<\/p>\n
European Space Agency (ESA)<\/p>\n
The blasts are so big they can momentarily outshine their galaxies.<\/p>\n
Astronomers divide supernovas into Type I and Type II blasts.<\/p>\n
In this case, the eruption was triggered by a white dwarf star feeding on stellar matter beyond critical mass.<\/p>\n
The European Space Agency (ESA), which operates Hubble with NASA, said: \"The white dwarf was part of a binary star system and siphoned mass from its companion, eventually becoming too greedy and taking on more than it could handle.<\/p>\n
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\"This unbalanced the star and triggered runaway nuclear fusion that eventually led to an intensely violent supernova explosion.<\/p>\n
\"The supernova shone brightly for quite some time and was easily visible from Earth through even small telescopes until months later.\"<\/p>\n
The supernova remnant, SN2015F, is now too dim to see without a large telescope.<\/p>\n
NASA said: \"A supernova burns for only a short period of time, but it can tell scientists a lot about the universe.<\/p>\n
\"One kind of supernova has shown scientists that we live in an expanding universe, one that is growing at an ever-increasing rate.<\/p>\n
\"Scientists also have determined that supernovas play a key role in distributing elements throughout the universe.<\/p>\n
\"When the star explodes, it shoots elements and debris into space.<\/p>\n
\"Many of the elements we find here on Earth are made in the core of stars.\"<\/p>\n
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Read more: The galaxy, officially known as NGC 2442, has been nicknamed the Meathook Galaxy due to its irregular features. Continue reading
\nNASA news: Meathook Galaxy where star died in nuclear blast caught by Hubble telescope - Daily Express<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"