Close-up The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | MPG/ESO Telescope

Close-up: The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | MPG/ESO Telescope

This picture of the Meathook Galaxy (NGC 2442) was taken by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile. It shows a much broader view than the Hubble image, although less detailed. 

This view includes the entire galaxy and the surrounding sky, and clearly shows the asymmetric spiral arms. The longer of the two arms has intense star formation. It is visible here as a pink glow. This is due to the radiation of young stars ionizing the gas they form from. The asymmetric shape and star formation are thought to be caused by tidal disruptions from a near-miss with another galaxy at in its history.

Learn more about the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope:
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Duration: 33 seconds
Release Date: May 4, 2011

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