Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
Ring Galaxy AM 0644-741 from Hubble
Explanation:
How could a galaxy become shaped like a ring? The rim of the blue galaxy pictured [ http://heritage.sts…] on the right is an immense ring-like structure 150,000 light years [ http://chandra.harv…] in diameter composed of newly formed, extremely bright, massive stars. That galaxy, AM 0644-741 [ http://adsabs.harva…], is known as a ring galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and was caused by an immense galaxy collision. When galaxies collide [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], they pass through each other -- their individual stars rarely come into contact. The ring [ http://en.wikipedia…]-like shape is the result of the gravitational disruption [ http://www.astro.um…] caused by an entire small intruder galaxy passing through a large one. When this happens, interstellar gas and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] become condensed, causing a wave of star formation [ http://www.sciam.co…] to move out from the impact point like a ripple across the surface of a pond. The intruder galaxy has since moved out of the frame taken by the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://www.stsci.ed…] and released to commemorate [ http://hubblesite.o…] the anniversary of Hubble's launch in 1990. Ring galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] AM 0644-741 lies about 300 million light years away.
Credit and Copyright:
Hubble Heritage Team (AURA [ http://www.aura-ast…] / STScI [ http://www.stsci.ed…]), J. Higdon [ http://heritage.sts…] (Cornell [ http://isc.astro.co…]) ESA [ http://hubble.esa.i…], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov…]
facet_when:
1990
facet_where:
AM 0644-741
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
Aura
facet_what:
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_when_year:
1990
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap051022

Ring Galaxy AM 0644-741 from Hubble
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