Can unusual giant galaxy NGC 1316 help calibrate the universe? Quite possibly -- if it turns out this atypical galaxy is composed of typical stars. NGC 1316, pictured above [ http://www.eso.org/…], is most obviously strange because it has a size and shape common for an elliptical galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] but dust lanes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and a disk more commonly found in a spiral galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. These attributes could be caused by interactions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] with another galaxy over the past billion years. Most recently, NGC 1316 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] has been monitored to find novae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], explosions emanating from white dwarf [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] stars that should have a standard brightness [ http://www.suite101…]. Again, NGC 1316 [ http://www.vuw.ac.n…] was found atypical in that the nova rate was unexpectedly high. If, however, the stars and white dwarfs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that compose NGC 1316 [ http://adsabs.harva…] are typical, then the novae [ http://astrosun.tn.…] observed should be just as bright as novae [ http://csep10.phys.…] in other galaxies so that astronomers can use them to compute an accurate distance [ http://www.sciam.co…]. This distance can then be used to calibrate other distance indicators [ http://www.astro.uc…] and result in a more accurate scale for distances [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] throughout the universe [ http://www.drscienc…].
Explanation
Can unusual giant galaxy NGC 1316 help calibrate the universe? Quite possibly -- if it turns out this atypical galaxy is composed of typical stars. NGC 1316, pictured above [ http://www.eso.org/…], is most obviously strange because it has a size and shape common for an elliptical galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] but dust lanes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and a disk more commonly found in a spiral galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. These attributes could be caused by interactions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] with another galaxy over the past billion years. Most recently, NGC 1316 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] has been monitored to find novae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], explosions emanating from white dwarf [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] stars that should have a standard brightness [ http://www.suite101…]. Again, NGC 1316 [ http://www.vuw.ac.n…] was found atypical in that the nova rate was unexpectedly high. If, however, the stars and white dwarfs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that compose NGC 1316 [ http://adsabs.harva…] are typical, then the novae [ http://astrosun.tn.…] observed should be just as bright as novae [ http://csep10.phys.…] in other galaxies so that astronomers can use them to compute an accurate distance [ http://www.sciam.co…]. This distance can then be used to calibrate other distance indicators [ http://www.astro.uc…] and result in a more accurate scale for distances [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] throughout the universe [ http://www.drscienc…].
