Hubble's Discovery of Twisted 'Train-Wreck' Galaxy and Cosmic Illusion
- The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of the galaxy NGC 4753, revealing a potential cosmic illusion.
- Another discovery by Hubble shows a massive trail of newborn stars possibly left by a runaway black hole.
- These findings shed light on the fascinating phenomena in the universe.
NGC 4753 is a lenticular galaxy located 60 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. It was shared on May 13, 2024. This galaxy is special because it has uniquely distorted dust lanes that have earned it the nickname "train-wreck galaxy." The latest image of NGC 4753, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, reveals more details than ever before. In the image, a bright white core is surrounded by dark-brown dust lanes that form a web-like tunnel around its center. Lenticular galaxies like NGC 4753 are a mix of spiral and elliptical galaxies. They have a central bulge and disk similar to spiral galaxies but lack spiral arms filled with stars. Instead, they have stars moving in a smooth pattern, similar to elliptical galaxies. These galaxies typically have older stars with fewer new stars being formed. Scientists believe that the unique appearance of NGC 4753 may be due to our viewing angle. If seen from directly above, it might resemble a spiral galaxy. It is theorized that NGC 4753 merged with a dwarf galaxy around 1.3 billion years ago, which could explain the dust lanes around its core. The Hubble Space Telescope has also captured a trail of newborn stars stretching 200,000 light-years, possibly left behind by a runaway supermassive black hole. The image of NGC 4753 provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies. By studying galaxies like NGC 4753, scientists can better understand the processes that shape the universe and the interactions between different celestial bodies.