The NGC 4632 Galaxy: A Stunning Image Captured by Radio Telescope
The radio telescope in Australia recently captured an exciting image of the NGC 4632 galaxy, located at a distance of 56 million light years from Earth. This captivating image reveals a halo formed from cold hydrogen, rotating perpendicular to the galaxy itself.
Termed a “Polar Ring,” this discovery adds a new dimension to our understanding of the NGC 4632 galaxy. While the hydrogen gala surrounding the galaxy remains invisible to optical telescopes, the ASKAP radio telescope from CSIRO successfully captured this elusive feature. The image is a composite, combining data from ASKAP and the optical Subaru telescope in Hawaii.
A recent study published in the esteemed journal “Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” has revealed that 1 to 3% of the nearest galaxies may possess gas polar rings, which is significantly higher than previous estimates. Nathan Deg, the lead author of the study, states, “Galaxies with polar rings may be more common than previously considered.”
Polar rings can form through different mechanisms. One theory proposes that materials required for their creation are added to the galaxy from a nearby galaxy, resulting in a mixture of gas, dust, and star material. Another theory suggests that hydrogen gas moves along space web films, eventually coalescing into rings around neighboring galaxies.
| Project Name | Objective |
|---|---|
| Wallaby | To map the entire southern sky and visualize the distribution of gas among hundreds of thousands of galaxies |
The Wallaby project, which aims to portray the entirety of the southern sky and map the distribution of gas among hundreds of thousands of galaxies, has already detected two potential galaxies with polar rings. Barbel Koribalski, an astronomer from CSIRO, expresses optimism, stating, “Using ASKAP in the coming years, we expect to find more than 200,000 galaxies rich in hydrogen, among which