Twisted Galaxy

Image Information:

Image Credit  : ESA/NASA Hubble Space Telescope

Object             : IC 1727

Type                : Twisted Galaxy

Date of Image : 18 August 2017

Science Information:

 

     The above image taken by NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is IC 1727, which is currently interacting with its near neighbour NGC 672. This pair's interactions have triggered peculiar and intriguing phenomena within both objects - most noticeably in IC 1727. The galaxy structure is visibly twisted and asymmetric, and its bright nucleus has been dragged off-center.

     In interacting galaxies such as these, astronomers often see signs of intense star formation and spot newly formed star clusters. They are thought to be caused by gravity chuming, redistributing and compacting the gas and dust. In fact astronomers have analyzed the star formation within IC 1727 and NGC 672 and discovered something interesting, observations show that simultaneous bursts of star formation occurred in both galaxies some 20 to 30 and 450 to 750 million years ago. The most likely explanation for this is that the galaxies are indeed an interacting pair, approaching each other every so often and swirling up gas and dust as they pass close by.

Credits:

Image : NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Text    : Sara Blumberg / NASA Blog