English: This Picture of the Week shows the Vela ring galaxy, visible as a bright core surrounded by a baby blue halo. As the name suggests, this ring galaxy — located in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sails) — is notable due to its compact core and large circular belt of gas and stars.
It is thought that ring galaxies like this are created when larger galaxies are punctured by a smaller galactic aggressor, which, passing through the heart of its more sizeable victim, triggers a shock wave that spreads outwards. This pushes gas to the galaxy’s periphery, where it begins to collapse and form new stars. The Vela ring galaxy is unusual in that it actually exhibits at least two rings, suggesting that the collision was not a recent one.
This picture also features a galaxy known as ESO 316-33, seen just above and to the left of the Vela ring galaxy, and a bright star known as HD 88170.
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Credit/Provider
ESO. Acknowledgements: Jean-Christophe Lambry
Source
European Southern Observatory
Short title
A cosmic hit and run
Image title
This Picture of the Week shows the Vela ring galaxy, visible as a bright core surrounded by a baby blue halo. This ring galaxy— located in the southern constellation of Antlia (The Pump) — is notable due to its compact core and large circular belt of gas and stars. It is thought that ring galaxies like this are created when larger galaxies are punctured by a smaller galactic aggressor, which, passing through the heartof its more sizeable victim, triggers a shock wave that spreads outwards. This pushes gas to the galaxy’s periphery, where it begins to collapse and form new stars. The Vela ring galaxy is unusual in that it actually exhibits at least two rings, suggesting that the collision was not a recent one.This picture also features a galaxy known as ESO 316-33, seen just above and to the left of the Vela ring galaxy, and a bright star known as HD 88170.
Usage terms
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Date and time of data generation
06:00, 9 May 2016
JPEG file comment
This Picture of the Week shows the Vela ring galaxy, visible as a bright core surrounded by a baby blue halo. As the name suggests, this ring galaxy — located in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sails) — is notable due to its compact core and large circular belt of gas and stars. It is thought that ring galaxies like this are created when larger galaxies are punctured by a smaller galactic aggressor, which, passing through the heart of its more sizeable victim, triggers a shock wave that spreads outwards. This pushes gas to the galaxy’s periphery, where it begins to collapse and form new stars. The Vela ring galaxy is unusual in that it actually exhibits at least two rings, suggesting that the collision was not a recent one. This picture also features a galaxy known as ESO 316-33, seen just above and to the left of the Vela ring galaxy, and a bright star known as HD 88170.