马卡里安星系链中的眼睛
(原标题: The Eyes in Markarian's Galaxy Chain)
2024-03-20
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横跨室女座星系团的中心是一串被称为马卡里安链的星系。马卡里安星系链中最突出的是这两个相互作用的星系，NGC 4438（左）和NGC 4435——也被称为“眼睛”。这两个星系相距约5000万光年，在这张清晰的特写中相距约10万光年，但在它们过去的宇宙中，它们之间的距离可能接近在1.6万光年之内。近距离接触产生的引力潮汐撕裂了它们的恒星、气体和尘埃。较大质量的NGC 4438设法保留了在碰撞中被撕裂的大部分物质，而较小的NGC 4435的物质更容易丢失。宇宙中这个拥挤区域的深度图像还包括许多更遥远的背景星系。
查看原文解释
Across the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster lies a string of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. Prominent in Markarian's Chain are these two interacting galaxies, NGC 4438 (left) and NGC 4435 - also known as The Eyes. About 50 million light-years away, the two galaxies appear to be about 100,000 light-years apart in this sharp close-up, but have likely approached to within an estimated 16,000 light-years of each other in their cosmic past. Gravitational tides from the close encounter have ripped away at their stars, gas, and dust. The more massive NGC 4438 managed to hold on to much of the material torn out in the collision, while material from the smaller NGC 4435 was more easily lost. The remarkably deep image of this crowded region of the universe also includes many more distant background galaxies.
© Mike Selby