Central NGC 1316: After Galaxies Collide

How did this peculiar-looking out galaxy originate? Astronomers flip detectives when making an are trying to envision out the living off of spicy jumbles of stars, gas, and dirt love NGC 1316. Inspection indicates that NGC 1316 is a large elliptical galaxy that in a technique involves gloomy dust lanes in most cases figured out in a spiral galaxy. Detailed photos taken by the Hubble Topic telescope reveals crucial functions, nonetheless, that benefit in reconstructing the historical previous of this gigantic tangle. Deep and wide photos show hide generous collisional shells, whereas deep central photos level to fewer globular clusters of stars in direction of NGC 1316’s inside. Such effects are anticipated in galaxies which bear passed by collisions or merging with other galaxies in the previous few billion years. The gloomy knots and lanes of dust, famed in the featured characterize, present that one or extra of the devoured galaxies had been spiral galaxies. NGC 1316 spans about 50,000 light years and lies about 60 million light years away in direction of the constellation of the Furnace (Fornax).