Wide-field view of the Meathook galaxy

This picture of the Meathook Galaxy (NGC 2442) was taken by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla, Chile. It shows a much broader view than the Hubble image, although less detailed. This view includes the whole galaxy and the surrounding sky, and clearly shows the asymmetric spiral arms. The longer of the two arms has intense star formation, which is visible here as a pink glow: this is due to the radiation of young stars ionising the gas they form from. The asymmetric shape and star formation are both thought to be caused by tidal disruptions from a near-miss with another galaxy at some point in its history.

Credit:

ESO

Over de afbeelding

Id:eso1115a
Type:Observatie
Publicatiedatum:4 mei 2011 12:00
Gerelateerde berichten:eso1115
Grootte:6756 x 5687 px

Over het object

Naam:NGC 2442
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy
Afstand:55 miljoen lichtjaren
Constellation:Volans
Categorie:Galaxies

Image Formats

Grote JPEG
10,6 MB

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Coordinates

Position (RA):7 36 8.18
Position (Dec):-69° 32' 32.06"
Field of view:26.81 x 22.55 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 181.6° left of vertical