Hubble captures a stunning cosmic tidal tail!
Recommended for Preparatory Grades
Hubble found an interesting connection between galaxies about 200 million light-years away. The three galaxies are called “Arp 248.”
The three galaxies that makeup Arp 248 are small and interact with each other.
They are in the constellation Virgo and are about 200 million light-years away.
What is a Tidal Tail?
A galaxy’s tidal tail is a thin, long area of stars and gas between the stars that stretches out into space.
Interacting galaxies are mesmerising to look at and interesting to study from a scientific point of view.
Key facts!
- The Hubble image shows two of Arp 248’s galaxies on either side of a third a much smaller galaxy.
- Because galaxies have gravitational pulls on each other, a stream of stars, gas, and dust connects them.
- The streams are called “tidal tails” by astronomers.
- When dusty galaxies and gas-filled galaxies come together, they often make tails.
- The tails are made of material from the outer spiral discs of the galaxies that are merging.
- In addition, the blue colour shows that this is where new stars are being made.
- As astronomers learn more about how galaxies interact with each other, they are learning about a new type of object they call “intergalactic star-forming objects (ISFOs).”
- ISFOs could be made when galaxies interact with each other in ways.
- For instance tidal forces or when galaxies ram into each other and sweep up material.
- They can also form when gas and dust move into the tails, or when all of these things happen at the same time.
- The Hubble Space Telescope will take a closer look at this collection of galaxies that interact in strange ways.
- This will set the stage for more in-depth research in the future.
- It will also help astronomers use their observation time more efficiently.
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Watch a video
Check out the Youtube shorts on Arp 248 shared by Youtube user “Deep Universe Observatory”.
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