. 24/7 Space News .
Gargantuan Galaxy NGC 1132 - A Cosmic Fossil

This image of the elliptical galaxy NGC 1132 combines an image from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory obtained in 2004 with images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope made in 2005 and 2006 in green and near-infrared light. The blue/purple in the image is the X-ray glow from hot, diffuse gas. The giant foreground galaxy, numerous dwarf galaxies in its neighbourhood, and many much more distant galaxies in the background are seen in visible light. Credit: NASA, ESA, M. West (ESO, Chile), and CXC/Penn State University/G. Garmire, et al.
by Staff Writers
Paris, France (ESA) Feb 08, 2008
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a new image of the galaxy NGC 1132 which is, most likely, a cosmic fossil - the aftermath of an enormous multi-galactic pile-up, where the carnage of collision after collision has built up a brilliant but fuzzy giant elliptical galaxy far outshining typical galaxies.

The elliptical galaxy NGC 1132, seen in this latest image from Hubble, belongs to a category of galaxies called giant ellipticals. NGC 1132, together with the small dwarf galaxies surrounding it, are dubbed a "fossil group" as they are most likely the remains of a group of galaxies that merged together in the recent past.

In visible light NGC 1132 appears as a single, isolated, giant elliptical galaxy, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Scientists have found that NGC 1132 resides in an enormous halo of dark matter, comparable to the amount of dark matter usually found in an entire group of tens or hundreds of galaxies.

It also has a strong X-ray glow from an abundant amount of hot gas - an amount normally only found in galaxy groups. Its X-ray glow extends over a region of space ten times larger than the 120,000 light-year radius it has in visible light. An X-ray glow that is equal in size to that of an entire group of galaxies.

The origin of fossil group systems remains a puzzle. The most likely explanation is that they are the end-products of a cosmic feeding frenzy in which a large cannibal galaxy devours all of its neighbours. A less likely explanation is that they may be very rare objects that formed in a region or period of time where the growth of moderate-sized galaxies was somehow suppressed, and only one large galaxy formed.

Many galaxies reside in groups that are gravitationally bound together, including our own Milky Way, which is part of the Local Group. Sometimes gravity makes galaxies collide and eventually merge into one single galaxy. There is strong evidence that the Milky Way is one such cannibal that has snacked on numerous smaller galaxies during its lifetime, inheriting their stars in the process.

Scientists are keenly studying the environment surrounding galaxies such as NGC 1132 using space telescopes like Hubble, and they try to trace the history of the formation these galaxies by analysing their properties.

In this Hubble image, NGC 1132 is seen surrounded by thousands of ancient globular clusters, swarming around the galaxy like bees around a hive. These globular clusters are likely to be the survivors of the disruption of their cannibalised parent galaxies that have been eaten by NGC 1132 and may reveal its merger history. In the background, there is a stunning tapestry of numerous galaxies that are much further away.

Elliptical galaxies are smooth and featureless. They contain hundreds of millions to trillions of stars, and their shapes range from nearly spherical to very elongated in shape. Their overall yellowish colour is a telltale sign of their great age. Because elliptical galaxies do not contain much cool gas they can no longer make new stars.

NGC 1132 is located approximately 320 million light-years away in the constellation of Eridanus, the River. This image of NGC 1132 was taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Data obtained in 2005 and 2006 through green and near-infrared filters were used to produce a colour composite.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
ESA Hubble
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Cool Spacedust Survey Goes Into Orbit
Nottingham, UK (SPX) Feb 04, 2008
University of Nottingham astronomers will be studying icy cosmic dust millions of light years away - using the biggest space telescope ever built. Scientists at the School of Physics and Astronomy will be using the Herschel Space Observatory, the most powerful telescope ever launched into space, as part of a giant survey to find out more about some of the coldest objects in the Universe.







  • Boeing Courts Ares I Suppliers To Provide NASA With Best Value
  • New Space Tourists Start Training In Russia
  • Texas county passes on spaceport plan
  • NASA Budget Request Ample In Space Exploration, Falls Short In Aeronautics

  • NASA Budget Request Strong On Earth Weak On Mars
  • ESA Presents Mars In 3D
  • Mars In Their Sights
  • Lyell Panorama Inside Victoria Crater Mars Four Years On Mars

  • Bigelow Aerospace And Lockheed Martin Converging On Terms For Launch Services
  • USAF Awards United Launch Alliance Three Delta IV Missions
  • Vandenberg Prepares For First Atlas V Launch
  • Khrunichev Center Signs New Contract For Proton-M Launches

  • Indonesia To Develop New EO Satellite
  • Russia To Launch Space Project To Monitor The Arctic In 2010
  • New Radar Satellite Technique Sheds Light On Ocean Current Dynamics
  • SPACEHAB Subsidiary Wins NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory Contract

  • ASU Research Solves Solar System Quandary
  • Happy Second Birthday New Horizons
  • The PI's Perspective: Autumn 2007: Onward to the Kuiper Belt
  • Data For The Next Generations

  • Gargantuan Galaxy NGC 1132 - A Cosmic Fossil
  • Cool Spacedust Survey Goes Into Orbit
  • The Growing-Up Of A Star
  • Hyperfast Star HE 0437-5439 Proven To Be Alien

  • NASA Recruiting Volunteers For Out Of This World Jobs
  • Volcanic deposits may aid lunar outposts
  • NG-Built Antennas Helping Provide Data On Moon's Thermal History For Japan's KAGUYA (SELENE) Mission
  • Amateur Radio Operators Asked To Tune Into Lunar Radar Bounce

  • Rx Networks Announces GPStream SUPL 1.0 AGPS Client With Extended Ephemeris Capability
  • US DoD Extends Savi's RFID II Contract
  • First Chevrolet Vehicle To Offer XM NavTraffic Service
  • Spirent Communications Extends Leadership In Testing Assisted GPS For Location Based Services

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement