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Back Hubble views NGC 4402

Hubble views NGC 4402


Date: 30 September 2009
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: NGC 4402
Copyright: NASA & ESA

The image of NGC 4402 highlights some telltale signs of ram pressure stripping such as the curved, or convex, appearance of the disc of gas and dust, a result of the forces exerted by the heated gas. Light being emitted by the disc backlights the swirling dust that is being swept out by the gas. Studying ram pressure stripping helps astronomers better understand the mechanisms that drive the evolution of galaxies, and how the rate of star formation is suppressed in very dense regions of the Universe like clusters.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
13-Apr-2026 03:01 UT

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