Galaxy Zoo Talk

Irregular shaped galaxy - inverted image

  • Alpha_Aurigae by Alpha_Aurigae

    Why is this galaxy irregular? Fly by of another galaxy in the distant past? Or is the bow-shaped feature caused by the speed of the galaxy traveling through the intergalactic medium?

    enter image description here

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  • Budgieye by Budgieye moderator

    Good question. Nothing near it. I hope someone gets a PhD out of this someday. Put it in the "Needs more research" thread.

    enter image description here

    enter image description here

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  • williamaskew by williamaskew

    Looks like Ram Pressure Stripping.

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  • Alpha_Aurigae by Alpha_Aurigae

    In physics, ram pressure is a pressure exerted on a body that is moving through a fluid medium. It causes a strong drag force to be exerted on the body.

    For example, a meteor traveling through Earth's atmosphere produces a shock wave generated by the extremely rapid compression of air in front of the meteoroid. It is primarily this ram pressure (rather than friction) that heats the air that in turn heats the meteoroid as it flows around it.[2]

    Galaxies in clusters experience ram pressure as they move through the intracluster medium; it is capable of stripping the galaxy of much of its interstellar gas.[3]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_pressure

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  • williamaskew by williamaskew

    Thanks for clearing that up Abe. I sometimes forget to clarify ideas I post.

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  • Alpha_Aurigae by Alpha_Aurigae

    I learned something new, Billy 😃.

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  • williamaskew by williamaskew

    this was on the NED page for 2MASX J16545293-0943045

            THE GALAXY MOTION RELATIVE TO NEARBY GALAXIES AND 
                    THE LOCAL VELOCITY FIELD

    http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/ex_refcode?refcode=1996AJ....111..794K

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