Galaxy Zoo Talk

Big elipsoidal?

  • pcris by pcris

    #AGN?
    seems to have an interesting formation inside, that can be seen using Galaxy Zoo examine

    Posted

  • ElisabethB by ElisabethB moderator

    What is that weird shape to the left of the galaxy ?

    Posted

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

    ElisabethB
    What is that weird shape to the left of the galaxy ?

    Yes... is weird! Possible a huge cloud of dust that emits ultraviolet light? Or matter emitted from central black hole?...

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris

    May be the remnant of a small galaxy devoured ?

    Posted

  • elizabeth_s by elizabeth_s

    Could this be a Hanny's Voorwerp as well?

    Posted

  • ElisabethB by ElisabethB moderator

    It looks a bit artificial, but weird none the less. I've asked around, but haven't got a reply yet.
    Will keep you informed ! 😄

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris

    Thanks !
    I read now about Hanny's Voorwerp object and I think it is a possibility. 😃
    It is very interesting which can be the explanation.

    Posted

  • Edd by Edd scientist

    When you play with the stretch parameters it looks like it has hard edges which indicate it's some kind of artifact. I've not seen an artifact like that before though. I'll raise this with the others and see if anyone can explain it.

    Posted

  • ElisabethB by ElisabethB moderator

    Thanks Edd ! 😄

    Posted

  • KWillett by KWillett scientist, admin, translator

    I agree that it looks quite artificial - I'm looking at the raw data for the survey to see if it appears in those, or whether it might be a processing artifact. We've also forwarded your comments to the development team. We'll let you know what we find - in the meantime, please let us know if you see similar features in any other images.

    We're very excited that you're using Examine, by the way - these are exactly the sort of questions that we hope you can explore with more advanced tools!

    Posted

  • ElisabethB by ElisabethB moderator

    It wasn't me. 😉
    It's pcris's post that made me sit up and start the nagging ! 😉

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris

    Thanks verry much ElisabethB! 😃

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris in response to KWillett's comment.

    KWillett
    I agree that it looks quite artificial - I'm looking at the raw data for the survey to see if it appears in those, or whether it might be a processing artifact. We've also forwarded your comments to the development team. We'll let you know what we find - in the meantime, please let us know if you see similar features in any other images.
    We're very excited that you're using Examine, by the way - these are exactly the sort of questions that we hope you can explore with more advanced tools!

    I think that is very well shaped stain to be a common artifact ... There are other images of galaxy to see if that formation is the same?
    I use Examine frequently but this is the only galaxy with such strange formation that I found until now. Anyway I recently came here.

    Posted

  • KWillett by KWillett scientist, admin, translator

    Hi pcris, ElisabethB -

    I looked at the images in more detail this afternoon. I agree that it's an unusually-shaped mark - it doesn't have the elongation I'd expect for a swiftly-moving object like an asteroid or a comet. Interestingly, it does appear in two color bands but not the third - that certainly argues against it being anything physically associated with the galaxy itself.

    The team is looking at the data now and trying to find what this object's origin is. In the meantime, if you (or any other Zooites) see similar features, create a Collection for them and let us know about it on Talk. Thanks for your help!

    • Kyle

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris

    I think it is possible to be an object closer or farther away.
    Also seems to be a slight lens effect. The object on the left up appears to me to be slightly distorted by such an effect. I think a subsequent spectral analysis could clarify things such as distance to the strange shape.
    I will tell you when I find anything similar.
    Cristian

    Posted

  • KWillett by KWillett scientist, admin, translator

    Thanks - that will be helpful. I suggest using a single hashtag so we can find such objects later - maybe #stain or #artifact.

    One suggestion is that it may be an artifact from the detector on the Hubble Space Telescope. The camera we use for these images (called Wide Field Camera 3) has a known effect where very bright sources can affect CCD pixels at other locations in the same field of view, which is sometimes referred to as "ghosting". I looked at a wider view of this galaxy, and found a bright infrared source very near to this galaxy that could have been responsible for the feature you identified (http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/datasearch?search_type=Photo_id&objid=7327099&objname=COMBO-17 38206&img_stamp=YES&hconst=73.0&omegam=0.27&omegav=0.73&corr_z=1&of=table). We're talking with members of the CANDELS team to follow up on this, however.

    In the meantime, please continue classifying galaxies on the decision tree as best you can, and keep discussing and examining unusual artifacts like this in Talk.

    • cheers,
      kw

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris

    Thanks!
    I understand.
    I think also that seems to be an artifact or something very close to us.
    But I noticed that the gravitational lens effect probably exists. Huge galaxy and dark matter ? Using "examine" also I noticed an faint #arc to the bottom of the image, centered slightly to the right of the galaxy. This effect may be related with that " bright infrared source very near to this galaxy" if it is in that place on the right?

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris

    Not verry similar but this is a galaxy with a litle bright object near the core http://talk.galaxyzoo.org/objects/AGZ0005174

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris

    Any news about this?

    Posted

  • vrooje by vrooje admin, scientist

    We think it's a detector artifact; so far we haven't found any evidence to suggest otherwise...

    Posted

  • pcris by pcris in response to vrooje's comment.

    Thank you !

    Posted