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Old 04-12-2011, 07:05 PM
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madbadgalaxyman (Robert)
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Brisbane
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Now that is interesting...............
Bang in the middle of the Fornax Cluster of galaxies, in a field which is notable for the lack of any significant number of supergiant stars. (these galaxies are "red and dead", and have very low Current star formation rates)

Accessing my "memory banks", I seem to recall that NGC1404 is arguably an S0 galaxy rather than an elliptical......in other words, there is a subtle zone outside of the spheroidal component in which the surface brightness falls off more slowly than it does in the spheroidal (bulge) component.

Quiescent S0 galaxies like this one have few or no supergiant stars, so core-collapse SNe are rare or non-existent in them, but there are a few of these "old stellar population galaxies" which for some reason get multiple type 1a supernovae.

cheers, bad galaxy man

As you can see from this UV exposure from GALEX, this galaxy (circled) is nearly invisible because it lacks young stars. In contrast,
NGC 1427A at left is vigorously forming stars and lights up "like a candle" in the ultraviolet:

Click image for larger version

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Last edited by madbadgalaxyman; 04-12-2011 at 07:16 PM.
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