Hubble image archive
Illustration of Comet-Like Objects Racing Through Galaxy's Center
This artist's illustration offers a "window seat" view of comet-like clouds of gas racing through the heart of the Cartwheel galaxy at 700,000 mph. The large orange and yellow pancake-like object is the galaxy's core, and the white streaks along its edges are the comet-like objec...
- Date
- Jan 1, 1996
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-1996-36-458-image
This artist's illustration offers a "window seat" view of comet-like clouds of gas racing through the heart of the Cartwheel galaxy at 700,000 mph. The large orange and yellow pancake-like object is the galaxy's core, and the white streaks along its edges are the comet-like objects. The objects probably were spawned by a collision between high-speed and slow-moving material. The "heads" are a few hundred light-years across; the tails are several thousand light-years long. The string of bright lights in the background is the galaxy's outer ring of young stars. The galaxy is 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor.
Credits
Credit: J. Gitlin (Space Telescope Science Institute), and NASAImage Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Cartwheel Galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 00h 37m 41.09s |
| Dec. Position | -33° 42' 59.0" |
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov