Intergalactic Pipeline

On October 25, 1999, the Hubble Space Telescope took a fascinating photo of mass transference between two galaxies. The two galaxies, located in the constellation Taurus, are known as NGC 1409 and NGC 1410. This mass transferance has created a stream of mass nicknamed an ‘integalactic pipeline’. The pipeline has been described as “a pencil-thin, 500 light-year-wide string of material” and “is moving a mere 0.02 solar masses of matter a year.”

Mass transference between the two galaxies appears to be one-way, with NGC 1409 receiving mass from NGC 1410. Strangely, there hasn’t been a significant amount of new star births in NGC 1409. NGC 1410, on the other hand, has experienced a rapid growth in new stars. The lack of new stars in NGC 1409 is believed to be a result of the high temperatures of the gas transferred from NGC 1410. This gas is believed to be too hot to permit the gravitational collapse necessary to facilitate the birth of new stars. NGC 1410, however, is experiencing rapid births of new stars as a result of the turbulence created from its last bounce off NGC 1409.

This ‘pipline’ is believed to be the result of the collision of these galaxies, which will likely continue to bounce off each other until they eventually merge in about 200 million years. In the meantime, generation after generation of astronomers will have quite a show to watch as these two continue their dance.

For more information:

This entry also posted in the American Military University Introduction to Astronomy newsgroup.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.