At
the center of this amazing Hubble image is the elliptical galaxy NGC
3610. Surrounding the galaxy are a wealth of other galaxies of all
shapes. There are spiral galaxies, galaxies with a bar in their central
regions, distorted galaxies and elliptical galaxies, all visible in the
background. In fact, almost every bright dot in this image is a galaxy —
the few foreground stars are clearly distinguishable due to the
diffraction spikes (lines radiating from bright light sources in
reflecting telescope images) that overlay their images.
NGC 3610 is of course the most prominent object in this image — and a
very interesting one at that! Discovered in 1793 by William Herschel, it
was later found that this elliptical galaxy contains a disk. This is
very unusual, as disks are one of the main distinguishing features of a
spiral galaxy. And the disk in NGC 3610 is remarkably bright.
The reason for the peculiar shape of NGC 3610 stems from its formation
history. When galaxies form, they usually resemble our galaxy, the Milky
Way, with flat disks and spiral arms where star formation rates are
high and which are therefore very bright. An elliptical galaxy is a much
more disordered object which results from the merging of two or more
disk galaxies. During these violent mergers most of the internal
structure of the original galaxies is destroyed. The fact that NGC 3610
still shows some structure in the form of a bright disk implies that it
formed only a short time ago. The galaxy’s age has been put at around
four billion years and it is an important object for studying the early
stages of evolution in elliptical galaxies.
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt
<b><a
href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html"
rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>
<b><a
href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html"
rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b>
enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science,
Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays
a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling
scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
<b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix"
rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>
<b>Like us on <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd"
rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>
<b>Find us on <a
href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid"
rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
What's happening in June on Romance - Sweet to Heat
9- SPOTLIGHT – Two O’clock with the Billionaire
10-
Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
11- NEBT - Author Spotlight – BJ Wane - Bound to
Submit
12- Author Spotlight –
Victoria Adams – Circles Divided
13-
Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
14
– Thursday
#Yoga
15
- Review of
CeeRee Field’s Birch’s Faith
16- SPOTLIGHT – Two O’clock with the Billionaire
17- Weekend Writing
Warriors #8Sunday
18- Author
Spotlight – S.K. Ryder – Dark Child of Forever
19- Author Spotlight – Victoria Adams – Circles Interlocked
20- Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
21- Author Spotlight – Liza O’Connor – Slammed Again
22 – Fridays in Space
23 – SPOTLIGHT – Two O’clock
with the Billionaire
24- Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
25 – Author Spotlight – J.M. Maurer – As
Right As Rain
26 – Author Spotlight – Victoria Adams – A Guy
and A Girl
27 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
28 - Thursday #Yoga
29 – Fridays in Space
30 – SPOTLIGHT – Two O’clock with the Billionaire
No comments:
Post a Comment