Baby Burp in Galaxy's Core (Overview)
These NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope snapshots reveal dramatic activities within the core of the galaxy NGC 3079, where a lumpy bubble of hot gas is rising from a cauldron of glowing matter. The picture at left shows the bubble in the center of the galaxy's disk. The structure is more than 3, 000 light-years wide and rises 3, 500 light-years above the galaxy's disk. The smaller photo at right is a close-up view of the bubble. Astronomers suspect that the bubble is being blown by 'winds' (high-speed streams of particles) released during a burst of star formation. Gaseous filaments at the top of the bubble are whirling around in a vortex and are being expelled into space. Eventually, this gas will rain down upon the galaxy's disk where it may collide with gas clouds, compress them, and form a new generation of stars. The two white dots just above the bubble are probably stars in the galaxy.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
Name: | IRAS 0958+559P15, NGC 3079 |
Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Barred Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral Local Universe : Galaxy : Component : Center/Core |
Distance: | 65 million light years |
Category: | Galaxies |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical NII | 658 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Infrared I | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |