If a person is square they are a bit dull, but for a galaxy, it is the mark of a true rebel. A rectangular galaxy spotted 700 million light years from Earth is the boxiest galaxy known – and could bring a new understanding of how galaxies form and evolve.
Galaxies take on one of three shapes: a flattened circular disc typically hosting a spiral pattern of stars like our Milky Way, an ellipsoid – like a rugby ball or American football – or an irregular shape without clear symmetry. Box-like galaxies are virtually unheard of, says Alister Graham at the Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.
Graham is one of the researchers who discovered the rectangular galaxy – named LEDA 074886 – while using the Subaru Prime Focus Camera, mounted on the Subaru telescope in Japan, to look for globular clusters of stars swarming around NGC 1407, a bright giant galaxy in the constellation Eridanus.
"It's one of those things that just makes you smile because it shouldn't exist, or rather, you don't expect it to exist," says Graham.
LINK - Square galaxy is a rebel
http://www.newscientist.com/data/ima...1617-1_300.jpg
We have been finding some impressive objects of late - Diamond planets, suns that shoot water bombs, it sure is an exciting time to be alive. I do wonder what is next.
Can anyone tell me why my pics do not show up in the post?