December 23, 2025

Day 23 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: Distance and Perspective

Day 23 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: Distance and Perspective. This Hubble image features a trio of galaxies that appear to be very close together, but appearances can be deceiving. The large spiral galaxy at the bottom right is NGC 1356. The two apparently smaller spiral galaxies flanking it are LEDA 467699 (top) and LEDA 95415 (left). Although the two galaxies at the bottom of the image appear to be near each other, NGC 1356 is a mere 550 million light-years away from Earth, and its companion in the sky, LEDA 95415, lies 840 million light-years away—another nearly 300 million light-years farther from us.