Dazzling new photos from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show the brilliant blue compact galaxy ESO 185-IG013 in the constellation Telescope.
This Hubble image shows ESO 185-IG013, a brilliant blue compact galaxy located approximately 260 million light-years away in the constellation Telescopium. Image credit: NASA / ESA / R. Chandar, University of Toledo / Gladys Kober, NASA and Catholic University of America.
ESO 185-IG013 is located about 260 million light-years away in the small constellation Telescopium in the south.
Also known as LEDA 63618, this galaxy is classified as a luminescent blue compact galaxy (BCG).
All stars in ESO 185-IG013 have a combined mass of more than 7 billion solar masses.
“BCG is a nearby galaxy that exhibits intense bursts of star formation,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“It is unusually blue in visible light, distinguishing it from other high starburst galaxies that emit more infrared light.”
“We study BCG because it provides a relatively close equivalent to galaxies in the early universe.”
“This means BCG can help us learn about the formation and evolution of galaxies as they may have occurred billions of years ago.”
Astronomers imaged ESO 185-IG013 at ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths, revealing details about its past.
“There are hundreds of young star clusters in our galaxy, many of which are younger than 100 million years,” the astronomers said.
“Many star clusters are only 3.5 million years old – relatively infants compared to the time scale of our universe.”
“Scientists predict that many of these youngest clusters will not survive because young clusters often outgas so much that they can disappear.”
“The large number of young star clusters indicates that ESO 185-IG013 was part of a recent galaxy collision and merger.”
“Disturbances in the galaxy's structure, likely caused by intense interactions between gas and dust during the collision, are another sign.”
“This merger provided the system with large amounts of fuel for star formation, which continues today.”
“ESO 185-IG013 also contains a tidal shell, and the diffuse light surrounding its bright center is a common signal of galaxy mergers,” the researchers said.
“We think that in galaxy mergers, the smaller of the two interacting galaxies is blocked by the larger galaxy and loses most of its material.”
“This causes matter to be ejected and then pulled back in by the gravity of the larger galaxy.”
“The dense region where material rearranges is called a shell, and it contains many star clusters. In addition to the shell, ESO 185-IG013 boasts a tail of gas to the northeast.”
Source: www.sci.news
