Hubble views NGC 4402
The image of NGC 4402 highlights some telltale signs of ram pressure stripping such as the curved, or convex, appearance of the disc of gas and dust, a result of the forces exerted by the heated gas. Light being emitted by the disc backlights the swirling dust that is being swept out by the gas. Studying ram pressure stripping helps astronomers better understand the mechanisms that drive the evolution of galaxies, and how the rate of star formation is suppressed in very dense regions of the Universe like clusters.
Credit:NASA & ESA
About the Image
| Id: | heic0911c |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 30 September 2009, 15:00 |
| Related releases: | heic0911 |
| Size: | 3427 x 3427 px |
About the Object
| Name: | NGC 4402 |
| Type: | Milky Way : Galaxy : Type : Spiral |
| Distance: | 55 million light years |
| Constellation: | Virgo |
| Category: | Galaxies |
Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 12 26 7.58 |
| Position (Dec): | 13° 6' 52.34" |
| Field of view: | 2.85 x 2.85 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 15.1° right of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Optical B | 435 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
ACS |
| Optical V | 505 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
ACS |
| Infrared I | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
ACS |