Posted on 09/13/2023 11:55:59 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Galaxy NGC 4632 hides a secret from optical telescopes. It is surrounded by a ring of cool hydrogen gas orbiting at 90 degrees to its spiral disk. Such polar ring galaxies have previously been discovered using starlight. However, NGC 4632 is among the first in which a radio telescope survey revealed a polar ring. The featured composite image combines this gas ring, observed with the highly sensitive ASKAP telescope, with optical data from the Subaru telescope. Using virtual reality, astronomers separated out the gas in the main disk of the galaxy from the ring, and the subtle color gradient traces its orbital motion. Why do polar rings exist? They could be material pulled from one galaxy as it gravitationally interacts with a companion. Or hydrogen gas flows along the filaments of the cosmic web and accretes into a ring around a galaxy, some of which gravitationally contracts into stars.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
hmmmm the galaxy is more in focus than the cloud around it! so which one was added via photochop??
The caption explains this. The gas cloud is imaged using radio telescopy; the galaxy is visual light. The two images are then superimposed to show you would see if you could see both radio frequency and visual light.
The cloud was detected using a radio telescope and the galaxy was recorded with an optical telescope.
And you thought galaxies were big!
This smoke ring is way bigger!
It reminds me of that, too!
The Subaru telescope.
Is it operated by lesbians?
“The Subaru telescope.
Is it operated by lesbians?”
Yes.
Just not very well...
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