Interacting Galaxy NGC 474 in Pisces | Subaru Telescope

Interacting Galaxy NGC 474 in Pisces | Subaru Telescope

NGC 474 is more than twice the size of the Milky Way Galaxy with its 100,000 light-year diameter stellar disk. Although it is classified as an elliptical galaxy, typically smooth and lacking features, this galaxy has arc-like and elongated tail-like features. These features are thought to have formed at a head-on collision with a dwarf galaxy hundreds of millions of years ago.

Distance from Earth: About 100 million light-years

Compared to their more intricate spiral cousins, elliptical galaxies resemble soft, hazy clouds. These galaxies have smooth, undefined boundaries, and bright cores surrounded by a fuzzy, diffuse glow. However, looks can be deceiving. At least 10% of ellipticals extend much further out into the cosmos than you might expect, and possess a range of far finer structures than first meets the eye—features such as loops and shells. 

NGC 474 is a stunning example of a shell elliptical galaxy; enormous wispy tails flick around the galaxy’s main body, while the inner structure is formed of a series of nested concentric rings. In fact, the full extent of the galaxy cannot even be contained in this field of view. The tendril-like outer regions of NGC 474 billow and wisp away like smoke, extending outwards for large distances from the galaxy’s main bulk. 

Astronomers are unsure why galaxies take on this kind of appearance and structure, but they believe it concerns gravity—namely, how nearby galaxies gravitationally interact with one another. It is possible that the spiral galaxy to the lower-right, NGC 470, has been tugging on its larger friend for billions of years, causing density waves to reshape its structure. 

The Subaru Telescope is an astronomical observation facility operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). It is located at the summit of Mauna Kea at an altitude of 4,200 meters in the U.S. state of Hawaii.

Learn more about Japan's Subaru Telescope: 
https://subarutelescope.org/en/

Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ); Image provided by Masayuki Tanaka
Release Date: Jan. 2, 2025

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