[The Epoch Times, Dàmhair 06, 2024](The Epoch Times reporter Chen Juncun reported) The Hubble Space Telescope of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) captured a picture of a special galaxy (a special galaxy). It has a unique appearance and does not belong to the common spiral or elliptical galaxies.
NASA pointed out in a press release issued on October 4 that this particular galaxy called NGC 4694 is located in the Virgo Cluster, 54 million light-years away from Earth.
Most galaxies can be divided into two basic types. The first are young and energetic spiral galaxies. Galaxies like this are filled with the gas needed to form new stars and they also have spiral arms that host hot and bright young stars. The second type is the elliptical galaxies which are fainter, with light coming from older and redder stars.
But some galaxies require a deep study to be classified. NGC 4694 is an example.
Like elliptical galaxies, NGC 4694 has a flat, spiral-armless disk where few stars form. However, the galaxy’s stellar population is still relatively young, and new stars are actively forming in its core, powering its bright core and giving it a galaxy image that is very different from elliptical galaxies. normal.
Although elliptical galaxies often contain a lot of dust, they usually lack the fuel needed to form new stars. NGC 4694 is filled with hydrogen gas and dust typically found in young, active spiral galaxies, and is surrounded by large, invisible clouds of hydrogen gas.
In the images published by NASA, the dust of NGC 4694 creates a chaotic structure, which means that it is subject to some kind of disturbance. It turns out that the clouds of hydrogen gas around NGC 4694 form a long bridge to a nearby faint dwarf galaxy called VCC 2062. Both galaxies suffered a catastrophe, and the Larger NGC 4694 accreting gas from VCC 2062.
This collision gave NGC 4694 its unique shape and star-forming activity, leading to its classification as a lenticular galaxy. Lenticular galaxies lack the characteristic spiral arms, but still have a central bulge and disk. They also have more star-forming gas than elliptical galaxies.
Some galaxies, such as NGC 4694, are not easily classified as one type or another. Astronomers need more research to reveal their true nature. Fortunately, with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers can uncover their secrets.
Editor-in-Chief: Sun Yun #
