The galaxy NGC 2276 is located 120.5 million light years distant from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. Also known as IRAS 07101 + 8550, LEDA 21039, and UGC 3740, the galaxy was discovered by the German astronomer Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke on June 26, 1876.
“A closer look reveals a strangely unbalanced galaxy formed by gravitational interaction and intense star formation,” said the Hubble astronomers. “The new image shows the unusually twisted appearance of NGC 2276, an appearance caused by two different astrophysical interactions: one with galaxy clusters invading superheated gas, and one with a close galactic neighbor.”
“The interaction of NGC 2276 with the intracluster medium, the superheated gas found between galaxies in galaxy clusters, has ignited an explosion of star formation along one edge of the galaxy,” they clarify.
“This wave of star formation is visible as the bright blue-tinged glow of newly formed massive stars toward the left side of this image, and it gives the galaxy a strangely crooked appearance,” continue the Hubble astronomers.
Thus, its asymmetric appearance has probably been caused by gravitational interactions with its neighbor, the elliptical galaxy NGC 2300.
The recent star-forming burst of NGC 2276 is related to the appearance of black holes and neutron stars in binary systems.
“On the other side of the galaxy from this outburst of new stars , the gravitational pull of a smaller companion is causing the outer edges of NGC 2276 to lose shape,” they say. “This interaction with the small lens-shaped galaxy NGC 2300 (not seen here) has distorted the outermost spiral arms of NGC 2276, giving the false impression that the larger galaxy is oriented facing Earth.”
