One of the nearby galaxies is our Milky Way. About 260 million light-years from Earth, the galaxy ESO 185–IG013 has long been of interest to astronomers. It is classified as a compact blue galaxy – BCG, which shows intense star formation. It has an unusual blue color in visible light. This makes it different from other galaxies that have a high scattering of stars. It emits more infrared light
Recently, astronomers working with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency revealed the latest images of the galaxy ESO 185-IG013 at ultraviolet wavelengths. Visible and infrared light have revealed details about this galaxy's past. Hundreds of young star clusters have been found. Many of them are less than 100 million years old. It was also found that many of the star clusters are only 3.5 million years old, and astronomers suspect that many of the star clusters in ESO 185-IG013 will not last long. This is because young star clusters often die after releasing too much gas. The large number of young star clusters indicates that the galaxy was part of a series of recent galactic collisions and mergers. The galaxy's collisional structure is likely the result of violent interaction between gas and dust during collisions.
Astronomers believe that these blue galaxies will help shed light on galaxy formation and evolution that may have occurred billions of years ago.
Image source: NASA, ESA, and R. Chandar (University of Toledo); Therapist: Gladys Cooper
(NASA/The Catholic University of America)
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