Hubble spots the effects of intergalactic winds on galaxy structure
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029104
Ars Technica : A galaxy 300 million light-years away is passing through the Coma cluster and is subject to the influence of the ionized gas and plasma created in the intracluster medium (ICM). When Jeffrey Kenney of Yale University and his colleagues used the Hubble Space Telescope to look at the galaxy, they found major distortions on its leading edge that are likely the result of ram pressure. As the ICM runs into the galaxy, it pushes away the lightest dust and gas on the periphery and leaves the denser material, which forms into long pillars. Kenney and his team believe that the denser material is held in place by magnetic fields; otherwise, they predict, the shape of the edge would be based entirely on the material’s density.
