Science & Tech · Space · 11 hrs ago
Hubble reveals a spiral galaxy with central stars and gas rotating sideways
NGC 4698 is a spiral galaxy about 55 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation Virgo.
A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows its dusty disk and spiral arms, which are most visible farther from the center.
Its central bulge extends at roughly a right angle to the disk, an unusual arrangement found in only a small number of spiral galaxies.
Measurements show that stars and gas near the center rotate in a plane perpendicular to the main disk.
Astronomers think NGC 4698 may have captured gas moving in a different direction, which could have formed stars that kept that unusual motion.
A short tail of hydrogen extending from the galaxy may also point to a past encounter, though its origin is not confirmed.
Hubble captured an image of NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy whose central stars and gas rotate perpendicular to its main disk.
The galaxy is about 55 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.
Its central bulge extends from the disk at roughly a right angle, an unusual arrangement found in only a small number of spiral galaxies.
Astronomers think the galaxy may have captured gas from outside, which settled into a different plane of rotation.
A short tail of hydrogen extending from the galaxy may offer another clue to its past.
- Who
- NGC 4698, observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
- What
- Hubble captured a spiral galaxy whose central stars and gas rotate perpendicular to its main disk.
- When
- The image was featured in an article published on 2026-10-23.
- Where
- NGC 4698 is in the constellation Virgo, about 55 million light-years from Earth.
- Why
- Astronomers think the galaxy may have captured gas moving differently from its existing disk, though the explanation is not certain.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Galaxy
- NGC 4698
- Distance
- About 55 million light-years from Earth
- Location
- Constellation Virgo
- Observation
- NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
- Rotation
- Central stars and gas rotate perpendicular to the main disk