Right ascension 12 29 43.919 Redshift 0.089598 Distance 55 mly (17 mpc) | Declination +11° 24′ 16.87″ Helio radial velocity 25,662 km/s | |
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Similar ESO 137‑001, NGC 4402, Virgo Cluster, Messier 86, Messier 87 | ||
IC 3418 is a galaxy that is most well noted for its tidal tail, which formed after the galaxy collided with the Virgo Supercluster some 54 million light years from Earth. The galaxy is home to many starburst regions.
The galaxy is thought to be evolving from a dwarf irregular galaxy into a dwarf elliptical galaxy, as the ram pressure of the intracluster medium of the Virgo Cluster through which it is plowing through strips gas from the galaxy, leaving it gas poor, while concentrating the gas in the tidal tail, forming "fireballs" of star formation in its wake.
Within the tail is thought to be the most distant star ever detected, as of 2013, a blue supergiant, SDSS J122952.66+112227.8, illuminating a clump of gas.
References
IC 3418 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA