IC 10 – Hubble Space Telescope Image

In this Hubble Space Telescope image, IC 10 emerges as a wide, uneven field of pale blue and soft orange light, scattered with brilliant points against deep black. Seen towards the constellation Cassiopeia, IC 10 is an irregular galaxy in the Local Universe, approximately 2 million light years from Earth. Its dispersed appearance gives the frame no single dominant centre; instead, the galaxy seems to unfold across the image in luminous fragments.

IC 10’s classification as an irregular galaxy is central to the character of this view: the subject is presented not as a neat spiral or smooth ellipse, but as a complex and visually unsettled expanse. The image was released on 17 June 2019, bringing Hubble’s view of this comparatively nearby galaxy into a field broad enough for its quieter structures and scattered concentrations of light to be appreciated together.

A closer look

Near the centre, one especially bright point anchors the composition. Around it, faint orange threads can be discerned against the darkness, delicate enough to disappear at a casual glance. The surrounding black is not empty: it is finely stippled with smaller lights, some sharp and white, others dimmer and cooler in tone.

The upper portion is crossed by a narrow blue-grey streak and a darker linear feature, subtle marks that interrupt the otherwise scattered rhythm of the field. Towards the upper right, faint greenish structures gather into an intricate, patchy glow. This becomes more pronounced near the right edge, where the colour passes gradually into the adjacent darkness rather than ending at a hard boundary.

Along the lower edge, dim blue points form a subdued counterweight to the brighter centre, while the lower-left region contains looser groupings of light. Viewed at large scale, the image’s most compelling quality lies in these shifts of emphasis: isolated brilliance gives way to soft haze, fine filaments and densely speckled shadow.

Image details and provenance

• Subject: IC 10
• Object type: Irregular galaxy
• Constellation: Cassiopeia
• Distance from Earth: 2 million light years
• Telescope: Hubble Space Telescope
• Original release date: 17 June 2019, 06:00
• Image credit: NASA, ESA and F. Bauer

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