Why NGC 4698 Spins in Two Directions and What It Tells Us About Galaxy Collisions

NGC 4698 lies about 55 million light‑years from Earth in the Virgo Cluster. Astronomers have discovered that the galaxy rotates in two directions at the same time: its outer disk spins one way, while a central component spins perpendicular to it.

The Hubble Space Telescope captured sharp images of NGC 4698, showing the distinct structures of the flat outer disk and the tilted inner region. The picture reveals faint bulges above and below the dusty plane where the central stars orbit.

Only a handful of spiral galaxies are known to have such counter‑rotating parts. This makes NGC 4698 a valuable laboratory for studying how galaxies grow and change over time.

Astronomers suspect the dual spin resulted from the galaxy swallowing a smaller neighbor in a past collision. NASA says a short tail of hydrogen trailing off one side might have formed in the crash, suggesting a minor merger left that imprint.

Understanding how a minor merger can create perpendicular rotation helps scientists piece together the history of other galaxies, including our own Milky Way, where similar merger signatures have been found.

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Why NGC 4698 Spins in Two Directions and What It Tells Us About Galaxy Collisions

Why NGC 4698 Spins in Two Directions and What It Tells Us About Galaxy Collisions

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