Galaxy NGC 7292 undulates in this image taken by NASA/ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope, with several bright stars in the background and faint fragments of extremely distant galaxies. It is located about 44 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus.

This galaxy is irregular, meaning it lacks the distinctive spiral arms or elliptical shape of some galaxies. What is unusual is that its core is elongated into a clear stripe visible in many spiral galaxies. Besides its nebula shape, NGC 7292 is extremely faint. As a result, astronomers classify NGC 7292 as a galaxy with low surface luminosity, barely visible against the night sky background. Such galaxies are usually dominated by gas and dark matter rather than stars.

Astronomers commissioned Hubble to study NGC 7292 during an observing campaign examining the effects of Type II supernovae to learn more about its diversity. These massive explosions occur when a massive star collapses and then rebounds sharply in a terrifying explosion that shatters the star.

Astronomers observed the supernova NGC 7292 in 1964 and named it SN 1964H. Studying the stellar environment of SN 1964H helps astronomers estimate the initial mass of the star that went supernova. Observations can help identify surviving companions of stars that once shared the system with the star SN 1964H. Source