ABOUT

This picture, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), shows a galaxy known as NGC 6872 in the constellation of Pavo (The Peacock). Its unusual shape is caused by its interactions with the smaller galaxy that can be seen just above NGC 6872, called IC 4970. They both lie roughly 300 million light-years away from Earth. From tip to tip, NGC 6872 measures over 500 000 light-years across, making it the second largest spiral galaxy discovered to date. In terms of size it is beaten only by NGC 262, a galaxy that measures a mind-boggling 1.3 million light-years in diameter! To put that into perspective, our own galaxy, the Milky Way, measures between 100 000 and 120 000 light-years across, making NGC 6872 about five times its size. The upper left spiral arm of NGC 6872 is visibly distorted and is populated by star-forming regions, which appear blue on this image. This may have been be caused by IC 4970 recently passing through this arm — although here, recent means 130 million years ago! Astronomers have noted that NGC 6872 seems to be relatively sparse in terms of free hydrogen, which is the basis material for new stars, meaning that if it weren’t for its interactions with IC 4970, NGC 6872 might not have been able to produce new bursts of star formation. A version of this image was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures image processing competition by contestant Judy Schmidt.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope photo shows the majestic spiral galaxy M81. In the midsts of this galaxy is the supernova 1993J which was recently found to have a companion star which had been hidden in the glow of the supernova for 21 years. The location of the supernova can be seen in the annotated version of this image. Links: NASA Press release Artist's impression of supernova 1993J Supernova 1993J in spiral galaxy M81 Supernova 1993J Scenario for Type IIb supernova 1993J

Åsa Christensson is a Swedish jewellery artist, born 1981 in Luleå, Sweden. She graduated from HDK School of Design and Crafts in 2008 and is currently living and working in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Åsa does artistic jewellery work as well as traditional goldsmithing, and is a member of the artist group Hnoss Initiative. Åsa has recieved several grants, among them the two-year working grant of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee in 2019 and 2012.

My artistic work is a way for me to understand things. I’m curious of the world and any kind of exploring or means to make sense of it all. I guess that’s why I’m drawn to science. In many aspects I let scientific discoveries explain my surroundings. I rely on them like translations into understandable words. As much as I enjoy the structured rules of scientific work, I’m equally fascinated by what lies beyond the realm of science. Things that aren’t visible, touchable or can’t be maesured. In some ways these contradictive views don’t seem too far apart. Groundbreaking theories can be just as strange and unimaginable to me, far out of reach and impossible to grasp.
I create abstract portrays of sorts, like images reminicent of things I have never seen. The works are expressions of a process, to accept, to question, to understand and to find my own view of reality.

– Åsa Christensson

CV

Space images by Hubble Space Telescope.

Ackknowledgements: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Judy Schmidt and A.Zezas (CfA), A.Filippenko (US Berkley),Hubble Heritage Team (STScl/AURA) & O.Fox (UC, Berkeley)