A new image from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) gives a detailed view of NGC 1055, an edge-on spiral galaxy.
This VLT image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 1055. This large galaxy appears to lack the whirling arms characteristic of a spiral, as it is seen edge-on; however, it displays odd twists in its structure that were probably caused by an interaction with a large neighboring galaxy, Messier 77. The VLT observed NGC 1055 with the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument using visible-light filters. Image credit: ESO.
NGC 1055 resides about 66.3 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation of Cetus.
Also known as LEDA 10208 and UGC 2173, this galaxy was discovered by the English astronomer William Herschel on December 19, 1783.
NGC 1055 is situated close to the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77 (M77 for short).
It is a member of the M77 galaxy group, a small group that also includes M77, NGC 1073, and five other small irregular galaxies.
NGC 1055 is thought to be up to 15% larger in diameter than our own Milky Way Galaxy.
The galaxy appears to lack the whirling arms characteristic of a spiral, as it is seen edge-on.
When seen edge-on, it is possible to get an overall view of how stars are distributed throughout a galaxy, and the ‘heights’ of the relatively flat disc and the star-loaded core become easier to measure.
Material stretches away from the blinding brightness of the galactic plane itself, becoming more clearly observable against the darker background of the cosmos.
Such a perspective allows astronomers to study the overall shape of a galaxy’s extended disc, and to study its properties.
One example of this is warping, which is something we see in NGC 1055. This galaxy has regions of peculiar twisting and disarray in its disc, likely caused by interactions with Messier 77.
This warping is visible here. NGC 1055’s disc is slightly bent and appears to wave across the core.
