| Cartwheel Galaxy | |
|---|---|
 The Cartwheel Galaxy, false color composite. |
|
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Right ascension | 00h 37m 41.1s[1] |
| Declination | -33° 42′ 59″[1] |
| Redshift | 9050 ± 3 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 500 Mly[2] |
| Type | S pec (Ring)[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 1′.1 × 0″.9[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 15.2[1] |
| Notable features | Ring shape |
| Other designations | |
| MCG-06-02-022a,[1] PGC 2248[1] | |
| See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies | |
The Cartwheel Galaxy (also known as ESO 350-40) is a lenticular galaxy about 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. It is about 150,000 light-years across. The estimated mass is 2.9–4.8 × 109 solar masses, and it is rotating at 217 km/s.[3]
Evolution
The galaxy was discovered by Fritz Zwicky in 1941 and was once a normal spiral galaxy like the Milky Way before it underwent a head-on collision with a smaller companion approximately 200 million years ago.[3][4] When the nearby galaxy passed through the Cartwheel Galaxy, the force of the collision caused a powerful shock wave through the galaxy, like a rock being tossed into a sandbed. Moving at high speed, the shock wave swept up gas and dust, creating a starburst around the galaxy's center portion that were unscathed. This explains the bluish ring around the center, brighter portion.[5] An estimation of the galaxy's span resulted in a conclusion of 150,000 light years, which is slightly larger than the Milky Way.[6] It can be seen that the galaxy is beginning to retake the form of a normal spiral galaxy, with arms spreading out from a central core.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for Cartwheel Galaxy. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
- ^ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 318. ISBN 0750306203.
- ^ a b | author=Amram, P.; Mendes de Oliveira, C.; Boulesteix, J.; Balkowski, C. | title=The Hα kinematic of the Cartwheel galaxy | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics | volume=330 | pages=881–893 | year=1998 | month=February | url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998A&A...330..881A | accessdate=2009-05-15 | bibcode=1998A&A...330..881A }}
- ^ a b "Cartwheel Galaxy" (in english). College of Southern Nevada. http://sites.csn.edu/planetarium/galaxy.html. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ Platt (November 1, 2006). "Cartwheel Galaxy Makes Waves in New NASA Image". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/galex/galex-20060111.html. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "Amazing Space- Fast Facts: Cartwheel Galaxy" (in English). Amazing Space. 2008. http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/fastfacts/cartwheel_galaxy.php.p=Astronomy+basics@,eds,astronomy-basics.php&a=,eds. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
External links
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