New NASA Picture of the Phantom Galaxy is Stunning
What’s in space? A lot of things, including some pretty amazing sights that are difficult to capture on camera! Thanks to the latest lens from NASA’s Hubble Telescope, you can now see more than ever before, and this new image of the Phantom Galaxy might be the best yet. The galaxy has gone by several names over time, but today it’s known as Messier object 11 (M11). Its name means you can find it by using the Messier catalog – it’s listed as number 11 in the catalog!
Why is it called the Phantom Galaxy?
The Phantom Galaxy gets its name from its appearance in visible light, where it appears as a faint, ghost-like blur. In infrared light, however, the galaxy is much brighter and clearer. The new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the galaxy as it appears in infrared light, revealing its true form. According to NASA, this is one of the most detailed views ever captured of this type of galactic phenomenon. Using adaptive optics on an 8-meter telescope, the astronomers were able to make out the distinctive shape of the galaxy with sharp detail. We see lots of galaxies at all different stages of development, said Dr. David Thilker, lead author on a paper about the discovery. In fact, we can even see nearby galaxies in our own cosmic backyard. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, has both older and younger generations of stars. Older stars are called red giants because they're cooler than their younger counterparts. They have so much heavier elements in them that they glow red when seen from Earth. Younger stars have fewer heavy elements; they are hotter than their elders and so appear blue. Nearby galaxies may look like fuzzy blobs to us now, but someday when our technology improves we will be able to distinguish individual stars within them. The picture taken by NASA of the Phantom galaxy reveals many details not previously observed. It helps us understand how old stars evolve and change over time, providing clues to understanding how other galaxies may behave.
Spitzer has observed that these dusty, long-dead galaxies tend to lie in environments devoid of any signs of ongoing star formation.
This research suggests that these dusty ghosts need to keep their dust lanes cold enough to allow gas and other molecules frozen onto dust grains – including carbon monoxide – to persist for longer periods without evaporating into space. Any warm-up of these galaxies will thaw the organic materials, making them susceptible to escape or react with each other and produce hydrogen cyanide. How quickly such evaporation occurs depends on the conditions in which they reside. The phantom label comes from observations made in visible light, where these dim objects are essentially invisible against more brilliant neighbors (hence their resemblance to something ghostly). Astronomers call this effect galactic camouflage. Basically, if you want to hide a little galaxy behind a bigger neighbor - let's say there was another big galaxy sitting between us and the small galaxy - then you would want to disguise your little galaxy. One way to do that would be simply to get rid of all of the stars in your little galaxy. But there are ways to achieve galactic camouflage through obscuration too. You could put another big cloud of interstellar gas or dust between your little tiny protogalaxy and us, so it was kind of like wearing some very dark sunglasses or clothes: If you wear clothing dark enough, you'll never see someone who wears lighter clothes standing next to you on a bright day.
How long ago did it appear?
The Phantom Galaxy, also known as J0826+4305, is a galaxy that first appeared in images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006. This new picture from NASA, however, is even more stunning. The galaxy looks like a ghostly apparition, with its long streamers of stars and dust. Scientists believe this may be what galaxies looked like in their infancy.
The name Phantom comes from one of its nicknames, Phantom of the Northern Cross. Astronomers used to think it was part of the Milky Way's close-by neighbor Andromeda. But when they examined it closer, they realized it was an entirely different galaxy far away on the other side of our own Milky Way galaxy. They theorize it became so obscured by intervening gas and dust that we can't see it any other way.
The thick interstellar fog blocks all but the most energetic starlight which astronomers call Lyman alpha photons. These are emitted by ionized hydrogen atoms at wavelength 121.6 nanometers (0.121 micrometers). When these light waves enter the Earth's atmosphere, they produce reddish colors we call airglow. In a sense, this is what makes up the outer glow of the newly released image captured by NASA using the Wide Field Camera 3 instrument aboard Hubble. It shows not only the stars themselves, but traces of the dense clouds where new stars are being born. Scientists say the eerie looking object will help them better understand how galaxies evolve over time.
The process of star formation occurs within giant molecular clouds, about ten million degrees Fahrenheit (7 million degrees Celsius) hot, where gravity causes gases to clump together under the force of its own weight until eventually fusion starts and a new star is born. Meanwhile, supernova explosions end some stars' lives prematurely - creating spectacular bursts of energy that scientists want to observe for clues about how much mass goes into creating elements heavier than iron. They've found that such exploding stars, or supernovae, create radioactive isotopes of aluminum, titanium and manganese.
What's Next: Another project coming soon from NASA is called the biggest map ever. Called WISE 10 yrs (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer), it'll scan the entire sky in infrared wavelengths to map objects like asteroids and comets. If you're interested in following NASA and space exploration, the best place to go is Twitter. You can follow @NASA, @JPLnews, and @NasaHubble. For example, in June 2016, NASA discovered what they thought was a black hole in space. They released a video of the finding, explaining it is the result of the Sagittarius A* event horizon. Sagittarius A* is 4 million times the size of our sun and has been around since this universe began.
How big is this galaxy?
This galaxy is about 700 million light-years across and contains over 100 billion stars. That makes it one of the largest galaxies in the known universe. And it's not just big, it's also bright. In fact, it's so bright that it can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Scientists think that it may have been formed when two smaller galaxies collided.
Since this image was taken, some astronomers are calling for a change to its name, as the original phantom designation is misleading because this galactic gem actually emits plenty of light.
How did they get such a detailed image?: The Advanced Camera for Surveys on board Hubble was used to snap these new images. The camera features four CCD detectors and wide field imaging capability, allowing the telescope to capture extremely detailed images of large areas of sky quickly.
This camera has been retired since 2009 but remains one of Hubble's most productive instruments thanks to its impressive sensitivity and power to resolve detail near the edge of what we can see by eye - even at an incredible distance from Earth! The iconic space telescope launched in 1990 and is expected to continue operating through 2020. Astronauts will periodically service the orbiting observatory during this time period, including changing out gyroscopes and reaction wheels which have reached their operational limits. It is predicted that Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), will launch in 2021. JWST is optimized for infrared light rather than visible light like Hubble, making it better suited to study the first galaxies ever created.T ucked away in our night sky, between the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt, lies a faint little object called the Phantom Galaxy. With an apparent magnitude of 11.6, it is just barely visible to the unaided eye if you know exactly where to look. Still, any observer with keen eyesight can spot it in a dark country sky. The object appears hazy or fuzzy around the edges because it is more distant than other more well-known objects such as M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy) and M42 (the Great Nebula of Orion). Many people mistakenly call this object The Black Eye Galaxy because they mistake its dark dust lanes for staring black eyes. But do not fear, brave traveler! We have found your path home—just follow the shining white star on your left hand side... What is the relationship of this galaxy to the Milky Way? The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies located in the constellation Virgo. The giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 is at the center of this cluster. This could provide a glimpse into the future, as we believe our own Milky Way Galaxy and other local group members will eventually merge together into a single, larger elliptical structure. What is the galaxy's connection to a human eye? Despite its name, the galaxy does not have anything to do with a human eye. The nickname comes from how its dusty clouds of gas and stars appear as if they're giving it a black eye.
When was this photo released?: This photo was released on January 15th, 2019.
Was there life in it?
No one knows for sure if there was ever life in the Phantom Galaxy. It's possible that the conditions were never right for life to form or that any life that did form was extinguished long ago. However, some scientists believe that there may have been primitive organisms in the galaxy at one time. If so, they would have been unlike any life forms we know of today. The stars are too old and too far apart for anything like Earth’s solar system to exist. Instead, each planet might orbit a single star. These hypothetical planets also wouldn't be able to support large animals because their gravity would be too weak. So where could these strange beings live? Some scientists think they might live deep below the surface of their planet, especially if it has an atmosphere similar to ours. Other theories suggest that these beings could cling onto the outside of their planet as it orbits around its star and use natural light for energy just as plants do on Earth. Yet other scientists point out that without a protective ozone layer, harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun would quickly kill any living things on such a planet. Whatever the case may be, this incredible new picture will continue to spark curiosity about what secrets lie within this little-known region of space.
Since no one has visited the Phantom Galaxy to see for themselves, all anyone can do is wonder. In our own Milky Way galaxy we already know of many planets with life and many more that appear lifeless. But perhaps someday humans will venture beyond our own galactic neighborhood and discover firsthand whether or not civilizations eke out an existence in distant galaxies like NGC 1052-DF2—or whether nature even allows them to exist at all. Perhaps someday...one day...soon...perhaps ... who knows? The continuation talks about how maybe humans will go to explore galaxies and find out what type of life lives there, but as of now we cannot say for sure.
This majestic view of a very peculiar nearby galaxy was captured by a NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope survey called Frontier Fields. This survey combines Hubble images with observations from other telescopes such as ESO’s OmegaCAM on the VLT in Chile, to look deep into some unusually transparent celestial objects — areas where space is so far from opaque with stars and dust that even Hubble can see very deeply. These new images unveil previously hidden details about a handful of mysterious galaxies orbiting close to ours. Scientists are using these detailed views to learn more about their peculiar properties; for example why they are unexpectedly faint despite being very close by, how stars were born inside them when they were just emerging from their fiery birth as young galaxies, and possibly even shedding light on questions concerning dark matter. It seems that every last detail of the history and structure of these galaxies is coming to light.
Will it collide with us?
No one knows for sure whether or not the Phantom Galaxy will collide with our own Milky Way galaxy. However, scientists have been monitoring its progress and believe that it is on a collision course with us. If it does collide with us, it could be disastrous for both galaxies. Our best hope is that it will miss us by a hair's breadth. But no one really knows what will happen if this merger happens. It could be disastrous or it might be nothing at all - nobody can predict for certain. Scientists do know is that we're about 3 million light years away from the phantom galaxy now, so there is plenty of time to prepare should anything happen in our lifetime. They've been tracking the position of the phantom galaxy and measuring how fast it is moving towards us. So far, they estimate that it'll take another 2 billion years before the Phantom Galaxy actually makes contact with ours. That may seem like a long time, but given the estimated 100 billion stars in each galaxy, that would only translate into a few collisions between planets. The danger comes when you consider those collisions as an analogy for the possibility of life being destroyed. Given these results, there are only three scenarios that we need to be prepared for:
The first scenario is worst-case: The two galaxies make contact with each other and destroy everything.
The second scenario would mean that the two galaxies hit each other but don't break apart; instead they merge together peacefully.
The third scenario is one where neither occurs; everything continues as normal without any eventful occurrences taking place
Other comments on this astonishing discovery.
The new picture, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, shows the galaxy in greater detail than ever before. The galaxy, also known as M74, is a spiral galaxy located about 32 million light-years away from Earth. It has a mass that's 400 trillion times the size of our sun and is estimated to be 10 billion years old.
The name Phantom comes from its location on the sky, which makes it difficult to view with telescopes on Earth because it's so far away and hidden behind other objects in space like other galaxies or dark matter. The most recent Hubble observation was made possible thanks to adaptive optics technology which corrects for optical aberrations.
This discovery could help astronomers better understand what the universe looked like when it was first created and how dark matter began to form galaxies billions of years ago. The detailed photo allows scientists to observe individual stars within the galaxy. What they've seen so far suggests that there are many more young stars than older ones, suggesting that the birth rate of these stars may have increased over time. When you look at this photo you can't help but feel humbled at how tiny we are compared to such an enormous creation - and yet I can't wait for future discoveries about this mysterious object!
To read more about other stunning images captured by Hubble click here.
In related news, NASA has reported a rise in solar storms which could mean that an epic aurora display may be on its way for those living in high latitudes like Europe and Canada over Christmas. According to Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), Earth is currently in an active phase of its 11-year solar cycle, which means that we're more likely to see strong geomagnetic storms and increased levels of radiation hitting our planet. The SWP predicts that solar activity will continue to increase through 2018.
Auroras happen when particles from the sun interact with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. These interactions cause the atoms in the atmosphere to release photons of light into the night sky; typically, green or red colors appear near the northern pole while white and blue are visible near southern latitudes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that if things stay as they are now, people living in northern climes like Scandinavia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland will be able to see some amazing displays of colorful lights dancing across their skies during this time period. And the good news is, even if you don't live in one of the regions where the conditions for viewing are optimal, there's still hope: You can follow @aurorawatchNL on Twitter to keep tabs on when and where auroras might be happening. And to find out whether an eruption from the sun could result in some spectacular natural fireworks.
As always, please stay tuned to all updates coming from @NASA because who knows what other mind-blowing pictures will come out next? When NASA tweeted the incredible, eye-opening photo of the Phantom Galaxy, it generated almost 30,000 likes and retweets in just a few hours. There were so many reactions to the photo that NASA actually had to post a follow-up tweet saying they weren't hacked.
A lot of people commented on how it made them feel small and insignificant, which is something a lot of us can relate to. Others said that looking at this photo helped them reconnect with their childlike wonder for the cosmos. One person asked how long it would take to get there by spaceship and another wanted to know what was inside the galaxy.
Others were interested in what the galaxy looks like from earth and how long it took for us to be able to take this photograph. There are a few really interesting questions raised in this discussion, which only proves that this is an awe-inspiring discovery worth looking into more deeply! To answer the question about how far away the Phantom Galaxy is, astrophysicist at Queen's University Belfast James Canning told National Geographic that it's more than 150 million light-years from Earth. That means that if you were to drive a car at 100 miles per hour and traveled for 15 minutes straight, you wouldn't be able to make it there!
The Phantom Galaxy is also situated in a part of the sky where dust and gas block out its stars so it was impossible to see until now. Now that we can see what it looks like up close, we can try to figure out why some galaxies are full of old stars and others are full of young stars. We can study how this galaxy is different from the Milky Way and where it fits in with other galaxies.
This NASA photo is an amazing reminder that there's a whole universe out there waiting to be explored. We have so much to learn about the stars and how they work, but we're making progress.
Stay tuned for more information on the Phantom Galaxy and its implications for the Universe.
Posts
