Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have obtained a surprising new perspective of spiral galaxy UGC 3912.
This Hubble image shows UGC 3912, a small spiral galaxy located 63 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. Image credit: NASA / ESA / C. Kilpatrick, Northwestern University / Gladys Kober, NASA and The Catholic University of America.
UGC 3912also known as IRAS 07315+0439 or LEDA 21303, lies. 19.3 megaparsecs It is located in the constellation Canis Minor (63 million light years) from Earth.
“UGC 3912 is classified as a spiral galaxy, but you wouldn't know it from this detailed Hubble image,” said Hubble astronomers.
“This galaxy's distorted shape typically indicates a gravitational encounter with another galaxy.”
“When galaxies interact, meaning they bump into or collide with each other's gravitational fields, their stars, dust, and gas can be pulled into new paths.”
“UGC 3912 may have once been an organized-looking spiral, but now it appears to have been bent out of shape by a giant thumb.”
“Fortunately, when galaxies interact, individual stars and objects orbiting them remain intact, even though their orbits change dramatically and the shape of the galaxy as a whole changes.”
“That's because the distances between stars in galaxies are so great that they simply keep moving along new orbits without colliding with each other.”
Astronomers are studying UGC 3912 as part of their investigation into supernova activity. Supernova activity is when a star at least eight times the size of the Sun explodes at the end of its life.
“Hubble studies hydrogen-rich phenomena known as supernovae, one of several types of supernovae. Type II supernova” they explained.
“Although enough Type II supernovae have been observed, they exhibit highly variable properties in brightness and spectroscopy and are not well understood.”
Source: www.sci.news
