The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of NGC 3783, a bright barred spiral galaxy located about 130 million light-years away from Earth. This galaxy is known as the namesake of the NGC 3783 galaxy group, which consists of gravitationally bound galaxies. Galaxy groups are smaller and less massive than galaxy clusters, which can contain hundreds or thousands of galaxies. However, galaxy groups typically have fewer than 50 members.
Our own Milky Way galaxy is part of the Local Group, which includes two other large galaxies (Andromeda and Triangulum) as well as dozens of satellite and dwarf galaxies. The NGC 3783 galaxy group itself contains 47 galaxies and appears to be in an early stage of its evolution. This makes it a compelling subject for further study by scientists, who can gain valuable insights into the formation and development of galaxies within these smaller cosmic structures. By examining the NGC 3783 galaxy group, researchers can better understand how galaxies form and evolve within different environments.