page_title: ESO 137-001
section_title: Galaxy's fate
hierarchical_section_title: ESO 137-001 / Galaxy's fate
caption_attribution_description: English: The MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope has provided researchers with the best view yet of a spectacular cosmic crash. Observations reveal for the first time the motion of gas as it is ripped out of the galaxy ESO 137-001 as it ploughs at high speed into a vast galaxy cluster. The results are the key to the solution of a long-standing mystery — why star formation switches off in galaxy clusters. In this picture the colours show the motions of the gas filaments&#160;— red means the material is moving away from Earth compared to the galaxy and blue that it is approaching. Note that the upper-left and lower-right parts of this picture have been filled in using the Hubble image of this object.
context_page_description: ESO 137-001 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Triangulum Australe and in the cluster Abell 3627. As the galaxy moves to the center of the cluster at 7 million kilometers per hour, it is stripped by hot gas thus creating a 260,000 light-year long tail. This is called ram pressure stripping. The intergalactic gas in the Abell 3627 is 100 million degrees Celsius which causes star formation in the tails.
context_section_description: The stripping of gas is thought to have a significant effect on the galaxy's development, removing cold gas from the galaxy, shutting down the formation of new stars in the galaxy, and changing the appearance of inner spiral arms and bulges because of the effects of star formation.
caption: Observations reveal motion of gas as it is ripped out of the galaxy.[8]
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "The MUSE instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope has provided researchers with the best view yet of a spectacular cosmic crash. Observations reveal for the first time the motion of gas as it is ripped out of the galaxy ESO 137-001 as it ploughs at high speed into a vast galaxy cluster. The results are the key to the solution of a long-standing mystery \u2014 why star formation switches off in galaxy clusters. In this picture the colours show the motions of the gas filaments\u00a0\u2014 red means the material is moving away from Earth compared to the galaxy and blue that it is approaching. Note that the upper-left and lower-right parts of this picture have been filled in using the Hubble image of this object.", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 (Windows)"}