NGC 4314: A Nuclear Starburst Ring
Explanation:
Is this old galaxy up to new tricks? The
barred spiral galaxy NGC 4314 is billions of years old,
but its appearance has changed markedly over
just the past few
millions of years.
During that time, a nuclear ring of
bright young stars has been evolving.
The inset picture of
NGC 4314 taken by
McDonald Observatory shows the whole galaxy
and boxes the small region around the
core imaged by the
Hubble Space Telescope. This
inner region appears much like a miniature
spiral galaxy itself,
complete with
dust lanes and spiral arms,
even though it is only a few thousand light-years across.
Further study of
NGC 4314 might help astronomers understand how the
inner and outer parts of this galaxy interact,
and what caused this unusual ring of star formation.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
