Distorted galaxy [
http://burro.cwru.e…] NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of the flying fish [
http://oceanlink.is…flyingfish.html ], (Piscis) Volans [
http://www.dibonsmi…]. Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms [
http://curious.astr…] extending from a pronounced central bar give it an ominous [
http://en.wikipedia…] hook-shaped appearance. This striking color image [
http://www.starshad…display.cfm?imgID=13 2 ] also shows obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] regions surrounding a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars. But the star forming regions seem more concentrated along the drawn-out northern (top) spiral arm. The distorted structure is likely the result of a close encounter [
http://arxiv.org/ab…] with a smaller galaxy located just outside this telescopic field of view. The picture spans [
http://chandra.harv…] about 1/6 of a degree, or 150,000 light years at the estimated distance of NGC 2442 [
http://www.aao.gov.…].
Explanation
Distorted galaxy [
http://burro.cwru.e…] NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of the flying fish [
http://oceanlink.is…flyingfish.html ], (Piscis) Volans [
http://www.dibonsmi…]. Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms [
http://curious.astr…] extending from a pronounced central bar give it an ominous [
http://en.wikipedia…] hook-shaped appearance. This striking color image [
http://www.starshad…display.cfm?imgID=13 2 ] also shows obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] regions surrounding a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars. But the star forming regions seem more concentrated along the drawn-out northern (top) spiral arm. The distorted structure is likely the result of a close encounter [
http://arxiv.org/ab…] with a smaller galaxy located just outside this telescopic field of view. The picture spans [
http://chandra.harv…] about 1/6 of a degree, or 150,000 light years at the estimated distance of NGC 2442 [
http://www.aao.gov.…].
Explanation
