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NGC 474 NGC 474 looks less like a galaxy and more like one of those weird, bioluminescent fish you find on the abyssal plain of the ocean. Astronomers aren't entirely sure what is causing the discharge of so much energy from the otherwise boring-looking galaxy, but there are two prevailing theories. First, the shells could be the remnants of smaller galaxies absorbed by NGC 474. They could also be a result of tidal interactions with the galaxy behind it, seeing as they are in the process of colliding with one another. Because of these bizarre outer shells, we’ve learned that most known galaxies have irregular halos around them as a result of collisions with other galaxies in the “recent” (on a cosmic scale) past. |