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Hubble Spies Doomed Spiral Galaxy Plunging Into Coma Cluster (and Losing Gas, Too)
By Samantha Mathewson, Space.com Contributor | January 31, 2019 07:20am ET
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a stunning new view of a spiral galaxy that wandered too close to the massive Coma galaxy cluster and is being stripped of its gas.
The spiral galaxy, named D100, is being pulled by gravity toward the dense center of the Coma cluster, located approximately 330 million light-years from Earth. As the galaxy plunges toward the cluster, it is stripped of its gas, creating a long, thin tail that stretches about 200,000 light-years — nearly the width of two Milky Way galaxies, according to a statement from NASA.
The galaxy's tail consists of dust and hydrogen gas. As the galaxy wades through intergalactic material surrounding the cluster, gas and dust is expelled from the galaxy. [Celestial Photos: Hubble Space Telescope's Latest Cosmic Views]
Eventually, D100 will run out of hydrogen gas, which the galaxy needs in order to form new stars, and become a dead relic, according to the statement.
More:
https://www.space.com/43182-galaxy-plunges-toward-coma-cluster-hubble-photos.html?utm_source=notification
