The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced an outstanding image of the jellyfish galaxy JO175.
“Jellyfish galaxies get their unusual name from the tendrils of star-forming gas and dust that trail behind them, just like the tentacles of a jellyfish,” Hubble astronomers explained.
“These bright tendrils contain clumps of star formation and give jellyfish galaxies a particularly striking appearance.”
“Unlike their ocean-dwelling namesakes, jellyfish galaxies make their homes in galaxy clusters.”
“The pressure of the tenuous superheated plasma that permeates these galaxy clusters is what draws out the jellyfish galaxies’ distinctive tendrils.”
Hubble recently observed JO175 and five other jellyfish galaxies, specifically the star-forming clumps of gas and dust that stud their tendrils.
“By studying the origins and fate of the stars in these clumps, we hoped to better understand the processes underpinning star formation elsewhere in the Universe,” the researchers said.
“Interestingly, our research suggests that star formation in the disks of galaxies is similar to star formation in the extreme conditions found in the tendrils of jellyfish galaxies.”
JO175 is located approximately 650 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Telescopium.
The color image of the galaxy was made from separate exposures taken in the visible, near-infrared and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
It is based on data obtained through six filters. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“The spiral arms of JO175 are studded with many pink spots, especially around the top of the galaxy,” the scientists said.
“One arm is sticking out below the galaxy. From it and around the bottom of the galaxy, faint gas streams away, while little gas is visible above the galaxy.”
“The galaxy is quite small in the center of a dark…
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