Spiral galaxy spills blood and guts
This new Hubble image shows spiral galaxy
ESO 137-001, framed against a bright background as it moves through the
heart of galaxy cluster Abell 3627. This cluster is violently ripping
the spiral’s entrails out into space, leaving bright blue streaks as
telltale clues to this cosmic crime.
This new Hubble image shows ESO 137-001, a galaxy located in the
southern constellation of Triangulum Australe (The Southern Triangle) — a
delicate and beautiful spiral galaxy, but with a secret.This image not only captures the galaxy and its backdrop in stunning detail, but also something more dramatic — intense blue streaks streaming outwards from the galaxy, seen shining brightly in ultraviolet light.
These streaks are actually hot young stars, encased in wispy streams of gas that are being torn away from the galaxy by its surroundings as it moves through space. This violent galactic disrobing is due to a process known as ram pressure stripping — a drag force felt by an object moving through a fluid [1]. The fluid in question here is superheated gas, which lurks at the centres of galaxy clusters.
This image also shows other telltale signs of this process, such as the curved appearance of the disc of gas and dust — a result of the forces exerted by the heated gas. The cluster's drag may be strong enough to bend ESO 137-001, but in this cosmic tug-of-war the galaxy's gravitational pull is strong enough to hold on to the majority of its dust — although some brown streaks of dust displaced by the stripping are visible.
Studying ram pressure stripping helps astronomers to better understand the mechanisms that drive the evolution of galaxies. For example, it will leave this galaxy with very little of the cold gas that is essential for star formation, rendering the galaxy effectively incapable of forming new stars.
ESO 137-001 is part of the Norma Cluster, a cluster of galaxies near the centre of the Great Attractor, a region of space that earned its name by being so massive, and having a gravitational pull so strong, that it is pulling entire galaxy clusters towards it. This region is located around 200 million light-years from our galaxy, the Milky Way. Both our galaxy and its home group, the Local Group, are slowly being hauled towards this mysterious region. Hubble also imaged ESO 137-001's neighbour, ESO 137-002, which is also known to have a hot tail of gas extending outwards into space (potw1302).
Despite being relatively close by cosmic standards, catching even a glimpse of the Norma Cluster is no mean feat. Observed from Earth, the cluster lies close to the plane of the Milky Way and is obscured by a thick smog of cosmic dust. But Hubble is up to the challenge — using new data from Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
As with most images from Hubble, this is not just a pretty picture; it tells us a great deal about the harsh environment at the heart of a galaxy cluster, and the fate of galaxies like ESO 137-001 that find passage through it.
A version of this image was submitted to the Hubble's Hidden Treasures image processing competition by contestant Serge Meunier.
Notes
[1] A quick and simple analogy for this effect would be to imagine leaning out of a car window as it travelled quickly along a motorway, or walking within a swimming pool.
New Hubble image of spiral galaxy ESO 137-001
This new Hubble image shows spiral galaxy ESO 137-001, framed against
a bright background as it moves through the heart of galaxy cluster
Abell 3627.
This image not only captures the galaxy and its backdrop in stunning detail, but also something more dramatic — intense blue streaks streaming outwards from the galaxy, seen shining brightly in ultraviolet light.
These streaks are in fact hot, wispy streams of gas that are being torn away from the galaxy by its surroundings as it moves through space. This violent galactic disrobing is due to a process known as ram pressure stripping — a drag force felt by an object moving through a fluid.
Credit:
This image combines NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations with data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
As well as the electric blue ram pressure stripping streaks seen
emanating from ESO 137-001, a giant gas stream can be seen extending
towards the bottom of the frame, only visible in the X-ray part of the
spectrum.This image not only captures the galaxy and its backdrop in stunning detail, but also something more dramatic — intense blue streaks streaming outwards from the galaxy, seen shining brightly in ultraviolet light.
These streaks are in fact hot, wispy streams of gas that are being torn away from the galaxy by its surroundings as it moves through space. This violent galactic disrobing is due to a process known as ram pressure stripping — a drag force felt by an object moving through a fluid.
Credit:
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CXC
VIDEOS VIDEOS VIDEOS VIDEOS
Hubblecast 72: Clues to a cosmic crime
The newest episode of the Hubblecast showcases striking new
observations of a spiral galaxy moving through the heart of a galaxy
cluster named Abell 3627. This cluster is violently ripping the spiral’s
entrails out into space, leaving bright blue streaks as telltale clues
to this cosmic crime.
Credit:
ESA/Hubble
Directed by: Nicola Guttridge
Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser
Written by: Nicola Guttridge/Georgia Bladon & Nikita Marwaha
Presented by: Joe Liske (Dr J)
Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa
Images: NASA, ESA
Music: Steve Buick
Web and technical support: Mathias Andre and Raquel Yumi Shida
Cinematography: Peter Rixner (perix-media-gmbh.de)
Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen
Credit:
ESA/Hubble
Directed by: Nicola Guttridge
Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser
Written by: Nicola Guttridge/Georgia Bladon & Nikita Marwaha
Presented by: Joe Liske (Dr J)
Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa
Images: NASA, ESA
- New image of ESO 137-001: NASA, ESA; acknowledgements: Ming Sun (UAH), and Serge Meunier
- Hubble-Chandra composite image: NASA, ESA, CXC
- Stephan’s Quintet: NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
- I Zwicky 18: NASA, ESA, and A. Aloisi (European Space Agency and Space Telescope Science Institute)
- Messier 106: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and R. Gendler (for the Hubble Heritage Team). Acknowledgement: J. GaBany
- The “Comet galaxy”: NASA, ESA, Jean-Paul Kneib (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille)
- NGC 4522/NGC 4402: NASA, ESA
Music: Steve Buick
Web and technical support: Mathias Andre and Raquel Yumi Shida
Cinematography: Peter Rixner (perix-media-gmbh.de)
Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen
Zooming in on ESO 137-001
This video zooms in on spiral galaxy ESO 137-001, which is undergoing
ram pressure stripping. The sequence begins with a view of the night
sky near the constellation of Triangulum Australe (The Southern
Triangle). It then zooms through observations from the Digitized Sky
Survey 2, and ends with a view of the galaxy obtained by Hubble.
Credit:
NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2
Acknowledgements: Ming Sun (UAH) and Serge Meunier
Credit:
NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2
Acknowledgements: Ming Sun (UAH) and Serge Meunier
Panning across ESO 137-001
This video pans across the sky near to spiral galaxy ESO 137-001 in
the constellation of Triangulum Australe (The Southern Triangle), ending
on a view of the galaxy itself. This delicate and beautiful spiral
galaxy is undergoing ram pressure stripping, where streaks of bright gas
are being dragged out into space by the cluster it is moving through.
Credit:
Credit:
3D visualisation of ESO 137-001 (artist’s impression)
This artist's illustration shows spiral galaxy ESO 137-001 in 3D. The
galaxy is undergoing a process known as ram pressure stripping, where
streaks of bright gas are being dragged out into space by the cluster it
is moving through.
Credit:
NASA, ESA, and M. Kornmesser
Acknowledgements: Ming Sun (UAH) and Serge Meunier
Credit:
NASA, ESA, and M. Kornmesser
Acknowledgements: Ming Sun (UAH) and Serge Meunier
Fade between Hubble and Chandra images of ESO 137-001
This image begins with a Hubble-only view of spiral galaxy ESO
137-001. It then fades to show the image with Chandra observations
overlaid.
This second image combines NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations with data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. As well as the electric blue ram pressure stripping streaks seen emanating from ESO 137-001, a giant gas stream can be seen extending towards the bottom of the frame, only visible in the X-ray part of the spectrum.
Credit:
This second image combines NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations with data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. As well as the electric blue ram pressure stripping streaks seen emanating from ESO 137-001, a giant gas stream can be seen extending towards the bottom of the frame, only visible in the X-ray part of the spectrum.
Credit:
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