Galaxy Zoo Talk

String of red dots

  • dweilant by dweilant

    May be the string of red dots are globular clusters being pulled into the galaxy? The length of this string would seem to imply an extreme gravitational field for this galaxy. The color difference between the string and the galaxy would seem to indicate different origins. If the string is associated with this galaxy, how could such an asymmetric gravitational field be stable over such an extensive region of space? Or is the galaxy and the string only "localized indicators" of a much larger gravitational field?

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  • ElisabethB by ElisabethB moderator

    The red dots are all foreground stars from our galaxy. There is no interaction going on between these stars and the central galaxy.

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  • zutopian by zutopian in response to ElisabethB's comment.

    ElisabethB
    The red dots are all foreground stars from our galaxy. There is no interaction going on between these stars and the central galaxy.

    There are red stars on that image, but there is also a line with red dots. I guess, that it is just an artifact.

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  • ElisabethB by ElisabethB moderator

    Yup, artifact for me too.

    Posted