New NASA Hubble image captures a rare, turbulent galaxy
The new image shows the galaxy NGC 1266, a transitional object with a clutch of young stars that likely collided with a smaller galaxy 500 million years ago
NASA/ESA/K. Alatalo/STScI (image); G. Kober/NASA/Catholic University of America (image processing)
The universe teems with galaxies, but in our neighborhood of the universe, some are rarer than others. Most of the local galaxies are young, vibrant things that are bursting with freshly born stars or more sedate, elliptical galaxies that have minimal star formation. Just 1 percent are somewhere in between, and now NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope appears to have caught a rare glimpse of one such transitional galaxy.
Located 100 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus, the galaxy, called NGC 1266, is what’s known as a lenticular galaxy. In a statement, NASA explained that these galaxies are viewed by astronomers as an “evolutionary bridge” between spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way and elliptical galaxies, which are known for having a shape like a stretched-out circle. NGC 1266 has the lenslike, flattened disk shape and bright central bulb of a spiral galaxy. But it has no spiral arms and—like an elliptical galaxy—appears to have little to no ongoing star formation.
In the new Hubble image, the galaxy can be seen partially obscured by rusty-colored clumps of dust and gas. While NGC 1266 may not be generating new stars, that wasn’t the case in the not-too-distant past (relative to the age of the universe, at least). The stars in the galaxy appear to be relatively young, meaning NGC 1266 is a poststarburst galaxy. Just about one galaxy out of every 100 in the area near the Milky Way falls into this middle-aged category.
On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Astronomers believe that, some 500 million years ago, NGC 1266 merged with a smaller galaxy, leading to a burst in star formation—but the collision also increased the mass in the central bulge. While the extra gas could have led to more new stars, it appears that this gas was instead sucked into the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole. As the black hole became more active, it generated powerful gusts of gas along its axis of rotation, which would have further disrupted the star-making process. Past observations by Hubble and other observatories have picked up outflows of gas from NGC 1266, lending further support to this theory of why so few new stars are being born there.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
