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ScienceQuiet 5d · day 6

Hubble captures rare spiral galaxy NGC 4698 spinning in two directions

Astronomers suspect the distant galaxy acquired its unusual dual rotation by consuming a smaller neighbor.

newest coverage 4d agosummary written 4d ago3 pieces MastodonNewswiresGoogle News

What to know

  • Galaxy NGC 4698 displays a rare dual-rotation structure: its outer disk spins flat while its central region rotates perpendicular to it.
  • Astronomers attribute the unusual configuration to an ancient collision in which NGC 4698 consumed a smaller galaxy, with evidence including a trailing hydrogen tail.
  • The discovery adds to growing evidence that galactic mergers shape the structure and dynamics of galaxies over billions of years.

“Because only a few known spiral galaxies spin against themselves like this, astronomers want to study NGC 4698 to figure out how it happened.”

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NASA / Hubble Space Telescope team Observatory operatorAstronomers (unnamed team) Researchers

Hubble captures rare spiral galaxy NGC 4698 spinning in two directions
Mashable

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in two hours at Sep 19, 4 AM; 3 pieces over 6 days (2 articles · 1 post) Sep 18, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quiet 1–2
Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:02 AM ET
  1. 1

    Astronomers theorize galactic merger caused NGC 4698's dual rotation

    Scientists believe a collision with a smaller galaxy caused NGC 4698's unusual structure. Gas from the consumed galaxy could have gathered at the center and begun spinning perpendicular to the main disk. A short tail of hydrogen on one side suggests evidence of this ancient merger.

    “Scientists believe some type of collision caused these two spins. Gas from somewhere else could have fallen into the galaxy's gap, gathered at the center, and started spinning its own way.”
    — Mashable
    1. 2 outlets Scientists want to know what this distant galaxy ate to make it so weird

      first by Mashable, 4d ago · also Mashable SEA

  2. 2

    Hubble photographs NGC 4698 with unusual dual-rotation structure

    NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured sharp images of spiral galaxy NGC 4698, revealing that its center spins perpendicular to its outer disk—a rare configuration among known spiral galaxies. The galaxy sits in the Virgo Cluster, 55 million light-years away.

    “A galaxy 55 million light-years away in space spins in two directions at once, and astronomers suspect it ended up that way after swallowing a smaller neighbor.”
    — Mashable Science