9/12/2023 0 Comments Barred spiral galaxy pics![]() Such galaxies are estimated to account for two-thirds of all spiral galaxies in the universe, and their study could reveal things about the formation and evolution of our own. NGC 1365 and other barred spiral galaxies are of great interest to astronomers thanks to new observations that indicated that the Milky Way could also be a barred spiral galaxy. Bright patches are also peppered throughout the two larger arms, which appear more like extended archipelagos than single structures. The glowing center shows the SMBH (the bright dot in the middle) and halo-shaped star-forming region, and illuminated dust surrounding it. This includes the most-detailed look at the central barred region and the many smaller, wispier arms extending from it. The image was acquired by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and offers new insights into this galaxy's inner workings. It is also suspected that this region arose from a combination of dynamical instabilities in the region, possibly due to stellar orbits, density waves, the overall rotation of the disk, and the likelihood that the inner bar more rapidly than the larger bar. In particular, its second bar is more prominent in infrared images, and previous instruments (like the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes) have been limited in terms of what they could visualize.Īstronomers theorize that this bar plays a crucial role in the galaxy's evolution, drawing gas and dust to the core, forming new stars, and feeding the supermassive black hole (SMBH), which is about two million solar masses and rotates at close to the speed of light. The galaxy was selected for observations by JWST because of its iconic nature and how much of its interior structure is obscured by dust. In the case of NGC 4394, it is likely that gravitational interaction with a nearby neighbour has caused gas to flow into the galaxy’s central region, providing a new reservoir of material to fuel the black hole or to make new stars.Measuring over 200,000 light-years in diameter, roughly twice as large as the Milky Way, NGC 1365 is noted for the way its wide arms extend from its central bar to give it a Z-like appearance. In most cases it is thought to be the influence of a black hole at the centre of the galaxy, but it could also be the result of a high level of star formation. Although LINER galaxies are relatively common, it’s still unclear where the energy comes from to ionise the gas. LINERs are active regions that display a characteristic set of emission lines in their spectra- mostly weakly ionised atoms of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur. ![]() At the centre of NGC 4394 lies a region of ionised gas known as a LINER. These arms are peppered with young blue stars, dark filaments of cosmic dust, and bright, fuzzy regions of active star formation. NGC 4394 is the archetypal barred spiral galaxy, with bright spiral arms emerging from the ends of a bar that cuts through the galaxy’s central bulge. The galaxy lies in the constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair), and is considered to be a member of the Virgo Cluster. Discovered in 1784 by the German–British astronomer William Herschel, NGC 4394 is a barred spiral galaxy situated about 55 million light-years from Earth.
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