NGC 1700: Elliptical Galaxy and Rotating Disk
Explanation:
In spiral galaxies,
majestic winding arms
of young stars and interstellar
gas and dust
rotate
in a disk around a bulging galactic nucleus.
Elliptical
galaxies
seem to be simpler, randomly
swarming with old stars and lacking gas and dust.
So astronomers were
excited
to find that NGC 1700, a young elliptical
galaxy about 160 million light-years away, shows evidence for a
90,000 light-year wide rotating disk of multi-million
degree hot gas.
The evidence comes from data recorded by the
orbiting
Chandra Observatory, whose sharp
x-ray image of NGC 1700 is seen above.
Balancing gravity, the rotation of the
x-ray hot disk,
the largest of its type yet discovered, gives the galaxy
a pronounced boxy profile in this false-color picture.
Theories
about
the origin of the disk suggest that NGC 1700 may be the result
of a cosmic scale galactic
merger,
perhaps between a spiral and
elliptical galaxy.
NGC 1700 is just visible with small telescopes toward the
flowing constellation
Eridanus.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
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NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
