The irregular galaxy NGC 4485 shows all the signs of having been involved in a hit-and-run accident with a bypassing galaxy. Rather than destroying the galaxy, the chance encounter is spawning a new generation of stars, and presumably planets.
The right side of the galaxy is ablaze with star formation, shown in the plethora of young blue stars and star-incubating pinkish nebulas. The left side, however, looks intact. It contains hints of the galaxy's previous spiral structure, which, at one time, was undergoing normal galactic evolution.
The larger culprit galaxy, NGC 4490, is off the bottom of the frame. The two galaxies sideswiped each other millions of years ago and are now 24,000 light-years apart. The gravitational tug-of-war between them created rippling patches of higher-density gas and dust within both galaxies. This activity triggered a flurry of star formation.
This galaxy is a nearby example of the kind of cosmic bumper-car activity that was more common billions of years ago when the universe was smaller and galaxies were closer together.
NGC 4485 lies 25 million light-years away in the northern constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs).
This new image, captured by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), provides further insight into the complexities of galaxy evolution.
Credits
NASA and ESA;Acknowledgment: T. Roberts (Durham University, UK), D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts) and the LEGUS Team, R. Tully (University of Hawaii), and R. Chandar (University of Toledo)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 4485 |
| Object Description | Interacting Galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 12:30:31.46 |
| Dec. Position | +41:41:43.40 |
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 25 million light-years |
| Dimensions | Image is 2.12 arcmin across (about 15,400 light-years) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from programs (T. Roberts), (D. Calzetti), (R. Tully), (R. Chandar) |
| Instrument | WFC3/UVIS, ACS/WFC |
| Exposure Dates | 10 observations between November 2005 and January 2015 |
| Filters | WFC3/UVIS: F275W, F336W, F657N, F814W; ACS/WFC: F435W, F606W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS and ACS/WFC instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F275W + F336W Cyan: F435W Green: F606W Red: F657N + F814W |
| Compass Image |  |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
