The galaxy pair NGC 1316 and 1317 in the constellation of Fornax
Wide-field view of the sky around the galaxies NGC 1316 and 1317
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This new image from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre
telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile shows two contrasting
galaxies: NGC 1316, and its smaller neighbour NGC 1317. These two are
quite close to each other in space, but they have very different
histories. The small spiral NGC 1317 has led an uneventful life, but NGC
1316 has engulfed several other galaxies in its violent history and
shows the battle scars.
Several clues in the structure of NGC 1316 reveal that its past was turbulent. For instance, it has some unusual dust lanes [1]
embedded within a much larger envelope of stars, and a population of
unusually small globular star clusters. These suggest that it may have
already swallowed a dust-rich spiral galaxy about three billion years
ago.
Also seen around the galaxy are very faint tidal tails — wisps and
shells of stars that have been torn from their original locations and
flung into intergalactic space. These features are produced by complex
gravitational effects on the orbits of stars when another galaxy comes
too close. All of these signs point to a violent past during which NGC
1316 annexed other galaxies and suggest that the disruptive behaviour is
continuing.
NGC 1316 is located about 60 million light-years away from Earth in
the southern constellation of Fornax (The Furnace). It also bears the
name Fornax A,
reflecting the fact that it is the brightest source of radio emission in
the constellation — and in fact the fourth brightest radio source in
the entire sky [2].
This radio emission is driven by material falling into the supermassive
black hole at the centre of the galaxy and has probably been provided
with extra fuel by the interactions with other galaxies.
This very detailed new image from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile was created by combining many individual images in the ESO archive. The aim of the original observations was to reveal the faintest features and study the disruption of this interesting system
.
As a bonus the new picture also provides a window into the distant
Universe far beyond the two bright galaxies in the foreground. Most of
the faint fuzzy spots in the picture are much more distant galaxies —
and there is a particularly dense concentration just to the left of NGC
1316.
Notes
[1] These dust lanes have been imaged in detail by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
[2] This applies at a radio frequency of 1400 MHz, at other frequencies the order will be different.
More information
ESO is the foremost intergovernmental
astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive
ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 15
countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark,
France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious
programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful
ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make
important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in
promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO
operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla,
Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large
Telescope, the world’s most advanced visible-light astronomical
observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and
is the world’s largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is
the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in
visible light. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary
astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in
existence. ESO is currently planning the 39-metre European Extremely
Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become “the
world’s biggest eye on the sky”.
Links
- Photos of the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
- Photos from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
- Photos of La Silla
Contacts
Richard HookESO, Public Information Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
Cell: +49 151 1537 3591
Email: rhook@eso.org
