Rapid Fire
Tidal Tail
- 11 Jan 2025
- 2 min read
A study led by Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) researchers has revealed the formation of an ultra-diffuse galaxy at the end of the longest tidal tail ever discovered, associated with the galaxy NGC 3785, located 430 million light-years from Earth in the Leo constellation.
- Tidal Tail: A tidal tail is a long, narrow stream of stars and gas created when galaxies interact or merge.
- Gravitational forces during these interactions pull material from the outer regions of the galaxies, stretching it into elongated streams that extend into space.
- Tidal tails can persist long after the merger, serving as a signature of recent galaxy interactions.
- These tails provide valuable insights into how galaxies evolve and form stars.
- Notably, a small portion of a galaxy's stellar formation occurs within tidal tails, highlighting their role in galaxy dynamics and evolution.
- Galaxy NGC 3785: It is a lenticular galaxy located in the Leo constellation, north of the celestial equator (imaginary circle that extends from Earth's equator into space), making it more visible from the northern hemisphere.
- A galaxy is a vast collection of gas, dust, stars, and solar systems, held together by gravity. Earth is part of one such galaxy.
Read more: Dark Matter and Dark Energy
