Look at the closeup on NGC 5395 at right. Note the bright white "arc" above the galaxy's core.
James D Wray described this feature as a fossil feature. This means that the bright arc was once the site of tremendous star formation, but all the O- and early B-type stars have died. What remains is a dense "soup" of A- and F-type stars (along with fainter and redder stars, obviously). The arc-shape is due to the fact that this feature was once a spiral arm peppered with tremendous clusters. Now the clusters are gone, and only a vast number of intermediate and low-mass stars mark the site of this former wild burst of star formation.
Spiral galaxy M83. HST WFC3/UVIS.
Maybe the fossil arm of NGC 5395 was once like the spiral arm in M83 at left, although probably even more bursting in star formation.
Ann
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 11:21 am
by orin stepanek
I now pronounce you Mr. & Mrs Galaxy!
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:35 pm
by OB1Kubota
Wondering what the difference in interaction of these two galaxies that appear to be in the same rotational direction vs galaxies that collide coming at each other in opposite rotation.
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 5:02 pm
by MarkBour
OB1Kubota wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:35 pm
Wondering what the difference in interaction of these two galaxies that appear to be in the same rotational direction vs galaxies that collide coming at each other in opposite rotation.
Hmmm ... on looking at the image, it was my guess that these two are rotating in nearly opposite directions. Just inferring from the direction of curvature of their spiral arms, that is.
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 7:20 pm
by sillyworm 2
Galaxies are my favorite apods & merging galaxies are even more enjoyable.What I would give to see this sped up( not a simulation).What a truly bizarre Universe.
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 7:24 pm
by sillyworm 2
Would love to see a close up of the jellyfish merge at 3:00.
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:36 am
by mikeok
I often wonder what the night sky would look like if I was on a planet orbiting a star say in the filament that spans the galaxies.
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:24 am
by OB1Kubota
Thanks Mark. Made my observation backwards. But question remains the same.
Re: APOD: The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394... (2020 Mar 04)
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:42 pm
by MarkBour
OB1Kubota wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:24 am
Thanks Mark. Made my observation backwards. But question remains the same.
Yeah, sorry, it's easier to nitpick than to answer a deep question.
I guess I replied because I had been looking at them and thinking of very similar questions.
I'd love to get the software from one of the better galactic collision simulations and do some runs.
If I wasn't lazy, I'd write one, since I don't think it's hard, but the runs probably require supercomputer time.
However, to answer your question could probably be done with models containing just a thousand stars or less.
From what I've seen, when two grand spirals merge, regardless of rotation direction, they are very likely to hugely reduce each other's rotation. If they approach each other edge on, the net rotations are still very cancelling regardless of whether they matched or were opposite before merger. Often you get an elliptical, with low rotation. I think the main counter-example would be two galaxies that approached each other face-on to face-on and were rotating in the same direction.
Anyway, I'd love to hear an answer from someone who's actually done these sims, since I've only seen a modest number of publicized examples.