International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) | 2015 May 20
[img3="Multiwavelength image of galaxies NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 combining optical and near-infrared data (light blue, yellow, orange), ultraviolet data (dark blue), mid-infrared data (red), and radio data (green)."]http://www.aao.gov.au/files/press/Fig1_ ... mall_0.jpg[/img3]A team of Australian and Spanish astronomers have caught a greedy galaxy gobbling on its neighbours and leaving crumbs of evidence about its dietary past.
Galaxies grow by churning loose gas from their surroundings into new stars, or by swallowing neighbouring galaxies whole. However, they normally leave very few traces of their cannibalistic habits.
A study published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) not only reveals a spiral galaxy devouring a nearby compact dwarf galaxy, but shows evidence of its past galactic snacks in unprecedented detail.
Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) and Macquarie University astrophysicist, Ángel R. López-Sánchez, and his collaborators have been studying the galaxy NGC 1512 to see if its chemical story matches its physical appearance.
The team of researchers used the unique capabilities of the 3.9-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT), near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, to measure the level of chemical enrichment in the gas across the entire face of NGC 1512.
Chemical enrichment occurs when stars churn the hydrogen and helium from the Big Bang into heavier elements through nuclear reactions at their cores. These new elements are released back into space when the stars die, enriching the surrounding gas with chemicals like oxygen, which the team measured. ...
Ionized gas in the XUV disc of the NGC 1512/1510 system - Á. R. López-Sánchez et al
- Monthly Notices of the RAS 450(4) 3381 (2015 July 11) DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stv703