Uncover NGC 6684 - Lenticular Galaxy by Hubble

The renowned Hubble Space Telescope, a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), has successfully photographed the NGC 6684 galaxy. Nestled 44 million light-years away in the Peacock constellation, NGC 6684 is a lenticular galaxy, noted for its lens-like shape. These galaxies are unique due to their vast disk of dust and gas, devoid of distinct spiral arms, a distinguishing characteristic of galaxies like Andromeda.

 As per Edwin Hubble's galaxy classification system, lenticular galaxies represent an evolutionary juncture between spiral and elliptical galaxies. The ESA elaborated on how the dispersed light radiated by these galaxies contributes to their distinct spectral visual appearance. Specifically, NGC 6684 lacks the dark dust lines commonly seen surrounding other galaxies, adding to its spectral appeal. In a recently released Hubble image, NGC 6684 takes center stage, displaying its gentle, diffused light and enshrouded by a smoky gray halo. 

Recent data gathered on NGC 6684 is part of the "All Known Nearby Galaxies" study, which aims to examine galaxies that Hubble has yet to observe within a radius of 32.6 million light-years. The ESA also added that these observations were made possible through Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), which replaced the Weak Object Camera during the 3B maintenance mission in March 2002.