Arp 188 and the
Tadpole's Tail
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
Why does this galaxy
have such a long tail? In this stunning
vista, based on image data from the Hubble Legacy Archive, distant galaxies
form a dramatic backdrop for disrupted spiral galaxy Arp 188,
the Tadpole Galaxy.
The cosmic
tadpole is a mere 420 million light-years distant toward the northern
constellation Draco.
Its eye-catching tail is about 280 thousand light-years long and features
massive, bright blue star clusters.
One story goes that a more compact intruder galaxy crossed in front
of Arp 188 - from right to left in this view - and was slung around behind the
Tadpole by their gravitational attraction.
During the close encounter, tidal
forces drew out the spiral
galaxy's stars, gas, and dust forming the spectacular tail.
The intruder galaxy itself,
estimated to lie about 300 thousand light-years behind the Tadpole, can be seen
through foreground spiral arms at the upper right.
Following its terrestrial namesake, the
Tadpole Galaxy will likely lose its tail as
it grows older, the tail's star clusters forming smaller satellites of the
large spiral galaxy.
