An exceptional new depiction of the exceptionally inclined spiral galaxy NGC 4388 has been captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
This Hubble image shows NGC 4388, a spiral galaxy some 59 million light-years in the constellation of Virgo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / S. Veilleux / J. Wang / J. Greene.
NGC 4388 is situated approximately 59 million light-years distant, nestled within the constellation of Virgo.
This celestial entity was initially documented by the eminent British astronomer Sir Wilhelm Herschel on April 17, 1784.
Also identified by the designations LEDA 40581 and IRAS 12232+1256, its span measures a substantial 120,000 light-years across.
It stands as one of the most luminous members within the Virgo Cluster, a vast aggregation comprising over 2,000 galaxies.
NGC 4388 is characterized by a vibrant, energetic core, leading to its classification as an active galaxy.
“From our observational perspective, NGC 4388 is oriented at a rather extreme angle, affording us an almost edge-on view,” the astronomers associated with Hubble stated in a release.
“This particular aspect reveals a striking phenomenon that was not evident in a prior Hubble portrayal of this galaxy, disseminated in 2016: an outflow of gas originating from the galaxy’s central region, now observed emanating outwards from the galaxy’s disk towards the lower-right segment of the image.”
“However, the origin of this expulsion and the reason for its luminescence remain subjects of inquiry.”
“The explanation is likely found in the considerable voids that demarcate the galaxies constituting the Virgo Cluster.”
“Although the intergalactic expanses within the cluster may appear devoid of matter, these regions are, in reality, permeated by heated filaments of gas referred to as the intracluster medium.”
“As NGC 4388 traverses through the cluster, it encounters and penetrates this intracluster medium.”
“The ambient pressure exerted by the hot intracluster gas effectively strips away the stellar material from NGC 4388’s disk, consequently leaving a trailing wake as NGC 4388 advances.”
“The precise source of the energetic forces responsible for ionizing this gaseous plume and inducing its glow is less certain,” they elucidated.
“Our hypothesis suggests that a portion of this energy originates from the galactic center, where a supermassive black hole has induced the surrounding gas to form a superheated accretion disk.”
“It is plausible that the intense radiation emanating from this disk ionizes the gas in close proximity to the galaxy, while shock waves may be accountable for energizing the more distant gaseous tendrils.”
