Closeup of the LMC and its halo (artist’s concept)

This artist’s concept shows a closeup of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a dwarf galaxy that is one of the Milky Way galaxy’s nearest neighbours. Scientists think that the LMC has just completed its closest approach to the much more massive Milky Way. This encounter has blown away most of the spherical halo of gas that surrounds the LMC. The bright purple bow shocks represent the leading edge of the LMC’s halo, which is being compressed as the Milky Way’s halo pushes back against the incoming LMC. The pressure is stripping much of the LMC’s halo and blowing it backward into a streaming tail of gas. The dwarf galaxy is cocooned within its remaining halo. An actual science image of the LMC is combined with an artist’s rendering of the galaxy’s halo.

[Image description: Labelled “artist’s concept” at bottom right, the graphic shows a closeup of a dwarf galaxy, which appears roughly circular with a light yellow bar in the centre. Faint, blue, wispy, cloud-like features surround this yellow bar, and they are sprinkled with tiny white specks. A wide, wispy, purple arc appears to the left of the galaxy. Trailing the galaxy is a large, faint, wide, tail-like feature.]

Credit:

NASA, ESA, R. Crawford (STScI)

About the Image

Id:heic2415c
Type:Artwork
Release date:14 November 2024, 16:00
Related releases:heic2415
Size:3840 x 2160 px

About the Object

Category:Illustrations

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
545.4 KB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
50.7 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

r.title1024x768
74.4 KB
r.title1280x1024
110.8 KB
r.title1600x1200
150.0 KB
r.title1920x1200
162.7 KB
r.title2048x1536
242.0 KB

Privacy policy Accelerated by CDN77