A team of researchers proposed an explanation for the strange appearance of the galaxy NGC 4861, which has the characteristics of a barred spiral galaxy but it looks more like a dwarf irregular galaxy. It’s possible that there’s an ongoing production of charged particle jets during a star formation phase with the generation of galactic winds that explain the strange shape of NGC 4861, similar to a comet.

Located about 39 million light years from Earth, the galaxy NGC 4861 is the subject of debate among astronomers for its strange characteristics. Its mass and rotation speed are typical of a spiral galaxy, which is the type the Milky Way belongs to as well, but its shape is very unusual so it could be classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy.

NGC 4861 is also a so-called starburst galaxy, meaning that there’s a particularly intense star formation within it. In this galaxy in particular this phenomenon is in place especially around its core. This factor might seem a further complication in its study but perhaps it’s instead the key to understanding its evolution and therefore its appearance.

One thing is certain, NGC 4861 is a dwarf galaxy that has a much lower mass than that of galaxies such as the Milky Way. This means that its total force of gravity is less intense and the consequence is that the objects within it are subject to minor forces. In irregular galaxies with a force of limited gravity, it’s easier to find galactic winds, jets and streams of particles that pass through them at high speed and finding few obstacles.

These galactic winds are generated by intense star formation in starburst galaxies. In short, the galaxy NGC 4861 seems perfect to study these winds and yet they were found there. The problem is that the materials that form the particles flows have a very low density and their electromagnetic emissions are difficult to detect.

The galaxy NGC 4861 is interesting from the scientific point of view due to its characteristics, unfortunately there are these difficulties caused by the limitations of the instruments used to study it. Certainly it will be still the subject of several studies, also with the instruments that will be activated in the coming years.