stunning image released today by the Gemini Observatory captures the graceful interactions of a galactic ballet, on a stage some 300 million light years away, that might better be described as a contortionist's dance
A new image from the Gemini Observatory captures unprecedented detail in a
group of five dancing galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet.
The galaxies, attracted by mutual gravity, are tearing each other apart. Sweeping
arches of gas and dust trace the interactions and the deformed structures that
result. The tug and pull generates a prolific display of star formation fueled
by clouds of hydrogen gas that were shocked into clumps to form stellar nurseries,
astronomers said.
The image, released yesterday, involved several exposures at different wavelengths.
"This allowed us to bring out some remarkable details in the final color image
that have never been seen before in one view," said Travis Rector of the University
of Alaska.
A collection of vibrant red clumps mark star-forming regions within a galaxy
called NGC 7320. Although its relation to the other galaxies in the cluster
has been the subject of some controversy, most astronomers now think that the
galaxy leads a relatively tranquil existence in the foreground, safely isolated
from the violent quarrels of the more distant cluster.
The other galaxies in the group are racing away from us at more than seven
times the pace of NGC 7320.
The interacting members of Stephan's Quintet appear destined to continue their
dance for millions more years, Rector and his colleagues say. Eventually, this
dance will probably cause some of the galaxies in the cluster to completely
lose their current identity, combining into even fewer objects than we see today.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: Gemini Observatory, Travis Rector, University
of Alaska Anchorage
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