What happens when a galaxy falls in with the wrong crowd? The irregular galaxy NGC 1427A is a spectacular example of the resulting stellar rumble. Under the gravitational grasp of a large gang of galaxies, called the Fornax cluster, the small bluish galaxy is plunging headlong into the group at 600 kilometers per second or nearly 400 miles per second.
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The Impending Destruction of NGC 1427A
NASA Hubble Mission Team
Goddard Space Flight Center
Related Images & Videos
Galaxy NGC 1427A Plunges Toward the Fornax Galaxy Cluster
What happens when a galaxy falls in with the wrong crowd? The irregular galaxy NGC 1427A is a spectacular example of the resulting stellar rumble. Under the gravitational grasp of a large gang of galaxies, called the Fornax cluster, the small bluish galaxy is plunging headlong...
A Grand-Slam of Stars in NGC 1427A
The Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys was used to obtain images of irregular galaxy NGC 1427A. A pullout from a neighbor galaxy to NGC 1427A reveals the fine details captured by Hubble of numerous hot, blue stars that have been formed very recently, showing...
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Last Updated
Mar 20, 2025
Contact
Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Credits
NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA);
Acknowledgment: M. Gregg (Univ. Calif.-Davis and Inst. for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Lawrence Livermore Natl. Lab.)
