探索触须星系

2022年3月31日

Exploring the Antennae
Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson

Explanation: Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. Stars in the two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely collide in the course of the ponderous cataclysm that lasts for hundreds of millions of years. But the galaxies’ large clouds of molecular gas and dust often do, triggering furious episodes of star formation near the center of the cosmic wreckage. Spanning over 500 thousand light-years, this stunning view also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far from the scene of the accident by gravitational tidal forces. The remarkably sharp ground-based image, an accumulation of 88 hours of exposure captured during 2012-2021, follows the faint tidal tails and distant background galaxies in the field of view. The suggestive overall visual appearance of the extended arcing structures gives the galaxy pair, also known as Arp 244, its popular name – The Antennae.

Tomorrow’s picture: leaning tower, active sun

探索触须星系
影像提供与版权: Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson

说明: 在南天的乌鸦座之内，离我们大约6千万光年远的2个大星系正在互撞。在这种历时数十亿年的大剧变事件中，这2个编录号为NGC 4038和NGC 4039的星系内之恒星，却极少发生碰撞，只有它们庞大的分子气体和尘埃云会受到影响，因而在孑遗的宇宙残骸之中心附近，触发了一波波猛烈的恒星形成活动。这幅涵盖大约50万光年区域的精采影像，呈现了新诞生的星团以及被重力潮汐力远远抛出的物质。这幅摄于2012-2021年期间、总曝光时间长达88小时的精采清晰地面望远镜影像，清楚呈现它们的潮汐尾，以及视野里的遥远背景星系。这个亦名为Arp 244的星系对之弯曲长条结构及整体外观，为它博得触胡星系的昵称。

明日的图片: leaning tower, active sun