【▲ Note: NGC 6845(Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/G. Gimeno, RJ Diaz, H Dottori; Image Processing: TA Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab))】
This is about 270 million light-years away in the direction of the southern sky’s “Venomium”「NGC 6845」is. NGC 6845, consisting of four galaxies in all, is known as an interacting galaxy. Interacting galaxies are multiple galaxies that exert gravitational influence on each other by passing each other or colliding.
A closer look reveals that NGC 6845 is made up of two types of galaxies. According to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Institute for Optical and Infrared Astronomy (NOIRLab), which released the images, the upper two galaxies are classified as spiral galaxies, and the lower two galaxies as lenticular galaxies. .
Spiral galaxy pairs are held together by structures of stars and gas that have been pulled apart by gravitational interactions. Two spiral galaxies are thought to eventually evolve into lenticular galaxies of the same type as another two.
The first image was taken using the “Gemini South Telescope” (8.1m aperture) of the Gemini Observatory in Cerro Pachon, Chile, and was released by NOIRLab on November 23, 2022.
Source
- Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/G. Gimeno, R. J. Díaz, H. Dottori; Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
- NOIRLab – Galactic Quartet
Text / Takehiro Matsumura