The image and information provided detail NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy located approximately 55 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. Here are the key points:
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Structure: NGC 4698 has spiral arms filled with stars, gas, and dust. Unlike many spiral galaxies, its arms are more pronounced in the outer regions rather than extending to the center.
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Galactic Bulge: The center features an elongated bulge, glowing off-white with older, smaller stars. This area houses a supermassive black hole that is actively accumulating gas.
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Anomalies: NGC 4698 is unusual because its bulge extends perpendicularly to the disk, and the inner stars rotate differently from those in the outer disk.
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Possible Causes: This misalignment could stem from external gas being absorbed or from a past minor merger with another galaxy, evidenced by a hydrogen tail.
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Research: This image results from a program studying galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, aiming to understand their evolution and star formation processes.
For further inquiries, you can contact Claire Andreoli at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
