Um olho que tudo vê
Os astrónomos passam o seu tempo a observar o Universo — e ocasionalmente parece que o Universo nos observa também! Esta imagem, uma composição de dados obtidos com o Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) e o Telescópio Espacial Hubble da NASA/ESA, mostra uma visão cósmica muito rara: um par de galáxias em interação com uma estrutura ocular.
Como o nome sugere, alguns tipos de encontros rasantes entre galáxias dão origem a formas que parecem um olho humano. Apesar das colisões de galáxias deste tipo não serem invulgares, apenas algumas galáxias com estruturas parecidas a olhos, ou oculares, foram observadas. A raridade destas estruturas deve-se muito provavelmente à sua natureza muito efémera — estruturas oculares como esta tendem a durar apenas várias dezenas de milhões de anos, o que corresponde a um piscar de olhos na vida de uma galáxia.
Estas duas galáxias chamam-se IC 2163 (a da esquerda) e NGC 2207 (a da direita) e é a IC 2163 que apresenta a estrutura ocular nesta imagem. O duo situa-se aproximadamente a 114 milhões de anos-luz de distância da Terra na direção da constelação do Cão Maior.
As galáxias rasaram uma pela outra — apenas raspando as extremidades exteriores dos seus braços em espiral — com a IC 2163 a passar por trás da NGC 2207. Esta colisão de relance deu origem a um tsunami de estrelas e gás na IC 2163, com o material das regiões exteriores do disco da galáxia a deslocarem-se para o interior do objeto. Esta onda colossal de material desacelerou rapidamente, movimentando-se da extremidade exterior para a extremidade interior das “pálpebras”, tendo chocado a meio caminho no disco da galáxia e produzindo fitas resplandecentes de formação estelar intensa e rugas comprimidas de gás e poeira que parecem um par de “pálpebras” cósmicas.
Notas
O Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), uma infraestrutura astronómica internacional, é uma parceria entre o ESO, a Fundação Nacional para a Ciência dos Estados Unidos (NSF) e os Institutos Nacionais de Ciências da Natureza (NINS) do Japão, em cooperação com a República do Chile. O ALMA é financiado pelo ESO em prol dos seus Estados Membros, pela NSF em cooperação com o Conselho de Investigação Nacional do Canadá (NRC) e do Conselho Nacional Científico da Ilha Formosa (NSC) e pelo NINS em cooperação com a Academia Sinica (AS) da Ilha Formosa e o Instituto de Astronomia e Ciências do Espaço da Coreia (KASI).
Link
- Artigo associado: “Ocular shock front in the colliding galaxy IC 2163”, de M. Kaufman et al., publicado a 4 de novembro de 2016 na revista da especialidade The Astrophysical Journal.
- Nota de imprensa do NRAO
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. Kaufman & the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Sobre a imagem
| Id: | potw1645a |
| Língua: | pt |
| Tipo: | Observação |
| Data de divulgação: | 7 de Novembro de 2016 às 06:00 |
| Tamanho: | 3298 x 1815 px |
Sobre o objeto
| Nome: | IC 2163, NGC 2207 |
| Tipo: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Interacting |
| Distância: | 110 milhão anos-luz |
| Constellation: | Canis Major |
Formatos de imagens
Papéis de parede
Coordenadas
| Position (RA): | 6 16 23.45 |
| Position (Dec): | -21° 22' 22.28" |
| Field of view: | 3.98 x 2.19 arcminutes |
| Orientação: | O norte está a 11.2° à direita da vertical |
Cores e filtros
| Banda | Comprimento de onda | Telescópio |
|---|---|---|
| Óptico V | 555 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Óptico I | 814 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Óptico U | 336 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Óptico B | 439 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Milímetro CO | Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array |
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