Nota de prensa
COMISIONADO EUROPEO FOTOGRAFIÓ GALAXIA CON EL VLT
9 de Noviembre de 2007
Durante su visita al Very Large Telescope de ESO en Paranal (Chile), el Comisionado Europeo para la Ciencia y la Investigación, Janez Potočnik, participó en una secuencia de observación y tomó imágenes de una hermosa galaxia espiral.
Durante su visita a Paranal, el 27 de Octubre, el Comisionado Europeo para la Ciencia y la Investigación, Janez Potočnik, observó con el instrumento FORS del Telescopio Antu (Sol), uno de los cuatro telescopios de 8,2 metros de diámetro del VLT.
"A dos horas de viaje en bus desde la ciudad más cercana, Antofagasta, en medio de la nada y a 2.600 metros de altitud, se levanta un observatorio astronómico de avanzada en el cual los científicos de un extremo a otro de Europa se atreven a utilizar algunas de las tecnologías más avanzadas y sofisticadas técnicas disponibles dentro de la astronomía. Una de las instalaciones es el VLT, el Very Large Telescope, con el cual, junto con los otros telescopios, los científicos pueden estudiar objetos en los límites más lejanos del Universo", escribió Potočnik en su blog.
Conocida hasta ahora como un simple número en un catálogo, NGC 134, la “Isla en el Universo“ que fue observada por el Comisionado, posee atributos extraordinarios que fueron revelados por el VLT. Al igual que nuestra Vía Láctea, NGC 134 es una espiral barrada con brazos que giran alrededor una región central brillante con forma de barra.
Una característica que destaca es su disco torcido. Mientras el disco de una galaxia se representa a menudo como una estructura plana de gas y estrellas alrededor del centro de la galaxia, un disco torcido es una estructura que, al ser vista de lado, recuerda a un disco de vinilo que se dobló por estar a pleno Sol.
Estas torceduras no son realmente atípicas. Más de la mitad de las galaxias espirales están torcidas de un modo u otro, incluso nuestra propia galaxia está un poco doblada.
Existen muchas teorías para explicar esto. Una posibilidad es que se producen como consecuencia de interacciones o colisiones entre galaxias. Estas también pueden producir colas de materia que es sacado de la galaxia. La imagen del VLT revela que NGC 134 también parece tener una cola de gas que se desprende del borde superior del disco.
La imagen del VLT también muestra que la galaxia tiene regiones importantes de hidrógeno ionizado (regiones HII) a lo largo de sus brazos espirales. Estas nubes incandescentes de gas caliente en las cuales las estrellas se están formando se observan en la imagen de color rojo. La galaxia también muestra importantes senderos oscuros de polvo de un extremo a otro del disco, obscureciendo parte de la luz de las estrellas de la galaxia.
Estudiar galaxias como NGC 134 es una excelente forma de aprender más acerca de nuestra propia galaxia. NGC 134 fue descubierta por Sir John Herschel en el Cabo de Buena Esperanza y está ubicada en la constelación meridional del Escultor. La galaxia está ubicada alrededor de 60 millones de años luz de distancia y es una de las 200 galaxias más brillantes en nuestro cielo.
Esta es una traducción de la nota de prensa de ESO eso0749.Acerca de la nota de prensa
| Nota de prensa No.: | eso0749-es |
| Legacy ID: | PR 49/07 |
| Nombre: | NGC 134 |
| Tipo: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Barred |
| Facility: | Very Large Telescope |
| Instruments: | FORS1 |
Imágenes
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