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Illustration of Comet-Like Objects Racing Through Galaxy’s Center

Illustration of Comet-Like Objects Racing Through Galaxy's Center
This artist's illustration offers a "window seat" view of comet-like clouds of gas racing through the heart of the Cartwheel galaxy at 700,000 mph. The large orange and yellow pancake-like object is the galaxy's core, and the white streaks along its edges are the comet-like objects. The objects probably were spawned by a collision between high-speed and slow-moving material. The "heads" are a few hundred light-years across; the tails are several thousand light-years long. The string of bright lights in the background is the galaxy's outer ring of young stars. The galaxy is 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    00h 37m 41.09s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -33° 42' 59.0"
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Cartwheel Galaxy
  • Release Date
    November 26, 1996
  • Science Release
    Hubble Spies Supersonic “Comet-Clouds” in Heart of Galaxy
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Credit: J. Gitlin (Space Telescope Science Institute), and NASA

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Last Updated
Aug 17, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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