Comments on: Galaxy eating monster reveals its secrets

By: Jackie Brockway

Jackie Brockway — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:39:47 +0000

Dear Will
Thanks for answering my query. I have a huge amount to learn and it’s great to find people who are willing to share their knowledge with baseline amateurs like me. Some recent astronomy books appear to be a little more accessible to non-mathematicians so hopefully my questions will soon be a little more informed.

By: Carnival of carnivals by Astronomy Down Under

Carnival of carnivals by Astronomy Down Under — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:51:39 +0000

[...] hosted the record-breaking (in number of articles) Carnival of Space #41, where we learned about cosmic cannibals, uses for the Wii remote, the Columbus module and Columbus’s compass, among many [...]

By: Will

Will — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:30:54 +0000

Hi Jackie,
Thanks for your message,
As I understand it although NGC 1132 doesn’t look very red in this image it is in fact, like other ellipticals, composed of mostly old yellow and red stars. (This image by the way was made from data taken through green and near-infrared filters). It’s very unlikely that star formation is occuring in an elliptical galaxy like this because of the lack of cool gas which is needed for star formation.
Best regards,
Will

By: Jackie Brockway

Jackie Brockway — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:03:13 +0000

Thanks for this great information. I notice that this huge entity isn’t red like most other ellipticals. Does that mean that stars are still being made somewhere within its “borders”?