{
  "id": 8251291,
  "title": "NASA’s Hubble Spots an Out-of-Sync Galaxy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/nasas-hubble-spots-an-out-of-sync-galaxy",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-18T13:38:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NASA Science",
    "slug": "nasa-science",
    "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/uncategorized/nasas-hubble-spots-an-out-of-sync-galaxy/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured an unusual image of the spiral galaxy NGC 4698, which appears serene on the surface but harbors a chaotic secret. Located approximately 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, NGC 4698 is one of over a thousand galaxies within the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large cluster of galaxies bound by gravity. Similar to our Milky Way, NGC 4698 boasts spiral arms that curl around within a thin disk of stars, gas, and dust. However, this galaxy's arms are conspicuously absent near its central region, instead forming a ring-like structure around the galaxy's perimeter.\n\nThe center of NGC 4698 is dominated by an elongated galactic bulge, which appears to extend out from the disk at a right angle. This unique feature, paired with the diffuse off-white glow of the bulge, indicates the presence of older, cooler stars and gas that orbit a supermassive black hole containing millions of times the Sun's mass.\n\nScientists believe that this peculiar structure may be the result of NGC 4698 funneling gas from an external source, which formed a disk of gas and stars at an angle relative to the rest of the galaxy's disk. Additionally, the galaxy might have experienced a minor galactic merger, evidenced by a short 'tail' of hydrogen streaming from one side. The data used for this image were collected as part of an observing program focusing on galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, with the aim of studying the details of these relatively nearby galaxies and understanding how their journey through a cluster affects their evolution and star formation abilities.",
  "summary": "Though the spiral galaxy in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It’s one of over a thousand galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large cluster of galaxies bound together by […] The post NASA’s Hubble Spots an Out-of-Sync Galaxy…",
  "key_points": [
    "NASA's Hubble captures chaotic NGC 4698 galaxy with off-sync spiral arms.",
    "Galaxy's central bulge extends at right angles to thin star-disk disk.",
    "Structure may result from gas funneling or recent galactic merger."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NASA",
        "title": "NASA’s Hubble Spots an Out-of-Sync Galaxy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/nasas-hubble-spots-an-out-of-sync-galaxy-8258003",
        "published": "2026-09-18T13:38:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "Hubble spots an out-of-sync galaxy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/hubble-spots-an-out-of-sync-galaxy",
        "published": "2026-09-18T16:40:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}