Explanation:
Scientists Discover Strange Galaxy Resembling a Giant Swimming Whale
A peculiar galaxy shows color stretching in the pitch-black outer space, forming a unique shape. It is located 25 million light-years from Earth. NASA researchers have named this galaxy NGC 463, but due to its appearance, it is also known as the “Cosmic Herring Galaxy” or the “Whale Galaxy.”
It is a member of a pair of companion galaxies; the other galaxy is located below it and is shaped like a hockey stick.
As shown in the figure, this is a very beautiful and spectacular color image captured by NASA. The core region of the galaxy appears yellow, dust clouds appear dark grey, star clusters appear bright blue, and star-forming regions appear bright red. There is a hot gas halo at the top of the galaxy. It is reported that the Whale Galaxy is similar in size to the Milky Way and is located near the northern region of the constellation Canes Venatici. Using high-performance telescopes, scientists discovered this companion galaxy—a barred galaxy shaped like a hockey stick on the underside of the Whale Galaxy, which scientists have named “NGC 4656.”
NASA scientists stated that detections in other wavelength ranges have revealed signs of distortion and mixing in the gas and dust of this companion galaxy region, suggesting that these two galaxies make close contact every few million years.
NASA Website:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090821.html
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