Hubble image archive
The Core of Peculiar Galaxy Arp 220 (Ground-based vs. Hubble)
[right] A ground-based telescopic photograph of the peculiar galaxy Arp 220 (image taken by K. Borne, H. Levison, and R. Lucas at USNO Flagstaff Station, Arizona) shows a curious double-lobed structure. This structure was first interpreted as two galaxies merging together, until...
- Date
- Jan 1, 1992
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-1992-16-65-image
[right]
A ground-based telescopic photograph of the peculiar galaxy Arp 220 (image taken by K. Borne, H. Levison, and R. Lucas at USNO Flagstaff Station, Arizona) shows a curious double-lobed structure. This structure was first interpreted as two galaxies merging together, until subsequent observations with highly sensitive CCD detectors revealed a dust lane down the center which made the galaxy appear double lobed.
[left]
A "true-color" image of the central pan of the Arp 220 taken with the WFPC on the Hubble Space Telescope. HST reveals a new complex structure within one arc second of the nucleus. HST reveals a new class of object at the core: gigantic young star clusters which are ten times larger than clusters previously observed. They were probably produced by the collision of two spiral galaxies. Stars are produced at a furious rate from the raw dust and gas supplied by the collision.
Astronomers have never before seen such a "starburst galaxy" so close-up. The core of Arp 220 promises to be a unique laboratory for studying the late evolution of massive stars.
Credits
E. Shaya, D. Dowling/U. of Maryland, the WFPC Team, and NASAImage Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Arp 220 |
| R.A. Position | 15h 34m 57.1s |
| Dec. Position | 23° 30' 11.0" |
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Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov