Hubble’s NGC 4698 image reveals a galaxy with a sideways center
Even galaxies struggle to get everyone moving in the same direction. NASA’s new Hubble image highlights NGC 4698, whose central stars and gas rotate perpendicular to the surrounding disk.
The actual story.
The spiral galaxy lies about 55 million light-years away in Virgo. Its elongated central bulge also extends at a right angle to the disk, an unusual arrangement. Astronomers suggest material acquired from outside the galaxy could explain the mismatch; some observations point to a past minor merger. That is an explanation under consideration, not a merger caught happening in this image. The observations form part of a program studying how galaxies evolve within the Virgo Cluster.
A serene-looking galaxy can preserve a messy history. Cosmic alignment, apparently, is optional.
Receipts, not rumors.
Read the original reporting: NASA / ESA Hubble ↗
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