Zoom on NGC 4993 - HD

This movie zooms from a ground-based view on towards the lenticular galaxy NGC 4993 in the constellation Hydra. Within this galaxy, a neutron star collision generated gravitational waves and an associated gamma-ray burst. It also resulted in an explosion called a kilonova that was visible to telescopes including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

The zoom ends with a loop of the three Hubble observations made in the first days after the explosion, clearly showing the evolution of the colour and brightness of the kilonovoa.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. DePasquale, and G. Bacon (STScI); Acknowledgment: A. Mellinger; Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), STScI/AURA