Astronomers see high-speed galaxy collision in action.Byline: ANI Washington, July 10 (ANI): Astronomers at the Chandra X-ray Observatory Chandra X-ray Observatory U.S. X-ray space telescope. It was named after astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and was launched into orbit in 1999. Its mirror, with an aperture of 1.2 m (4 ft) and a focal length of 10 m (33 ft), produces unprecedented resolution. have spotted a galaxy collision in action, with one galaxy passing through the core of other galaxies at almost 2 million miles per hour. The image obtained is of Stephan's Quintet Stephan's Quintet is a visual grouping of five galaxies of which four form the first compact galaxy group ever discovered.<ref name="Molesetal1998" /> The group was discovered by Édouard Stephan in 1877 at Marseilles Observatory. , a compact group of galaxies discovered about 130 years ago and located about 280 million light years from Earth. Four of the galaxies in the group are visible in the optical image from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope is located near the mountain top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii at an altitude of 4,204 meters (13,793 feet). It is a Prime Focus/Cassegrain configuration with a usable aperture diameter of 3.58 meters. . A labeled version identifies these galaxies (NGC NGC New General Catalogue (of Nebulae and Star Clusters; astronomy) NGC National Geographic Channel (TV) NGC National Guideline Clearinghouse 7317, NGC 7318a, NGC 7318b and NGC 7319) as well as a prominent foreground galaxy (NGC 7320) that is not a member of the group. The galaxy NGC 7318b is passing through the core of galaxies at almost 2 million miles per hour, and is thought to be causing the ridge of X-ray emission by generating a shock wave that heats the gas. Additional heating by supernova explosions and stellar winds has also probably taken place in Stephan's Quintet. A larger halo of X-ray emission, detected by ESA's (European Space Agency's) XMM-Newton could be evidence of shock heating by previous collisions between galaxies in this group. Some of the X-ray emissions are likely caused by binary systems containing massive stars that are losing material to neutron stars or black holes. Stephan's Quintet provides a rare opportunity to observe a galaxy group in the process of evolving from an X-ray faint system dominated by spiral galaxies A spiral galaxy is a type of galaxy characterized by a central bulge of old Population II stars surrounded by a rotating disc of younger Population I stars. Spiral galaxies Designation Picture Classification Constellation Apparent Magnitude to a more developed system dominated by elliptical galaxies and bright X-ray emission. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. scientists, being able to witness the dramatic effect of collisions in causing this evolution is important for increasing the understanding of the origins of the hot, X-ray bright halos of gas in groups of galaxies. Stephan's Quintet shows an additional sign of complex interactions in the past, notably the long tails visible in the optical image. These features were probably caused by one or more passages through the galaxy group by NGC 7317. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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