Galaxy NGC 4388 Expels Huge Gas Cloud
Explanation:
Why are huge clouds of gas billowing from spiral galaxy NGC 4388?
The extent of the gas clouds, over 100,000
light-years, was unexpected before the
Subaru Telescope took the
above image.
NGC 4388 has a bright energetic nucleus and so is classified as an
active galaxy.
The spiral,
relatively close by at 60 million light years,
is a member of the nearest major
cluster of galaxies: the
Virgo Cluster.
One
hypothesis holds that the gas was stripped away as
NGC 4388 made its way through the
intergalactic medium of the Virgo Cluster.
A competing hypothesis holds that the gas
is all that remains of a
smaller galaxy that was
gravitationally deconstructed
by the larger NGC 4388.
Further observations may better determine
NGC 4388's past and likely contribute to a better understanding of how
galaxies evolve inside
massive clusters.
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.
