A striking new image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxy NGC 4490. The scattered and warped appearance of the galaxy is the result of a cosmic collision with another galaxy, NGC 4485. The pink fireworks in this image are regions of intense star formation, triggered by the past collision.
This Hubble image shows the galaxy NGC 4490. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Calzetti, UMass / LEGUS Team / J. Maund, University of Sheffield / R. Chandar, University of Toledo.
Together NGC 4490 and NGC 4485 form the system Arp 269, which is featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies.
They are located 24 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Canes Venatici.
The extreme tidal forces of their interaction have determined the shapes and properties of the two galaxies.
Once a barred spiral galaxy, similar to the Milky Way, NGC 4490’s outlying regions have been stretched out, resulting in its nickname of the Cocoon Galaxy.
Virtually no trace of its past spiral structure can be seen from our perspective, although NGC 4485 (not pictured here) still clings on to its spiral arms.
This cosmic collision has created rippling patches of higher density gas and dust within both galaxies.
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The conditions there are ripe for star formation; the brilliant pink pockets of light seen here are dense clouds of ionized hydrogen, glowing as they are irradiated with UV light from nearby young, hot stars.
This spectacular burst of new activity has led to NGC 4490’s classification as a starburst galaxy.
Star formation is also evident in the thin thread that connects the two galaxies: a bridge of stars created by the ancient crash, stretching over the 24,000 light-years that currently separate the fated pair.
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