Better known as M106 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], bright spiral galaxy NGC 4258 is about 30 thousand light years across and 21 million light years away toward the northern constellation Canes Venatici [ http://hawastsoc.or…]. The yellow and red hues in this composite image [ http://chandra.harv…] show the galaxy's sweeping spiral arms [ http://en.wikipedia…] as seen in visible and infrared light. But x-ray [ http://chandra.harv…] and radio data [ http://www.nrao.edu…] (blue and purple) reveal two extra spiral arms -- arms that don't align with the more familiar tracers of stars, gas, and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. In fact, an analysis [ http://arxiv.org/ab…] of the x-ray [ http://arxiv.org/ab…] and radio data suggests that the anamolous arms are composed of material heated by shock waves. Detected at radio wavelengths, powerful [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] jets originating in the galaxy's core likely drive the shocks into the disk of NGC 4258.
Explanation
Better known as M106 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], bright spiral galaxy NGC 4258 is about 30 thousand light years across and 21 million light years away toward the northern constellation Canes Venatici [ http://hawastsoc.or…]. The yellow and red hues in this composite image [ http://chandra.harv…] show the galaxy's sweeping spiral arms [ http://en.wikipedia…] as seen in visible and infrared light. But x-ray [ http://chandra.harv…] and radio data [ http://www.nrao.edu…] (blue and purple) reveal two extra spiral arms -- arms that don't align with the more familiar tracers of stars, gas, and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. In fact, an analysis [ http://arxiv.org/ab…] of the x-ray [ http://arxiv.org/ab…] and radio data suggests that the anamolous arms are composed of material heated by shock waves. Detected at radio wavelengths, powerful [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] jets originating in the galaxy's core likely drive the shocks into the disk of NGC 4258.
