Unusual Giant Galaxy NGC 1316
Explanation:
Can unusual giant galaxy NGC 1316 help calibrate the universe?
Quite possibly -- if it turns out this atypical galaxy
is composed of typical stars.
NGC 1316,
pictured above, is most obviously strange because
it has a size and shape common for an
elliptical galaxy but
dust lanes and a disk
more commonly found in a
spiral galaxy.
These attributes could be caused by
interactions with
another galaxy over the past billion years.
Most recently,
NGC 1316 has been monitored to find
novae, explosions emanating from
white dwarf stars that should
have a
standard brightness.
Again,
NGC 1316 was found atypical in that the nova rate
was unexpectedly high.
If, however, the stars and
white dwarfs that compose
NGC 1316 are typical, then the
novae observed should be just as bright as
novae in other galaxies so that astronomers can
use them to compute an
accurate distance.
This distance can then be used to calibrate other
distance indicators and result in a more accurate
scale for distances throughout the
universe.
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.
