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A recently discovered breed of galaxies really caught astronomers'attention.
最近一种星系的发现引起了天文学家的额外注意。
Because they look like jellyfish.
因为它们看起来很像水母。
Astronomers found the first jellyfish galaxy a decade ago.
天文学家第一次发现这种水母星系是在10年以前。
Such a galaxy has a disk of stars, like our Milky Way—plus long blue tendrils.
这种水母星系的圆盘由星体组成，就像银河系长长的蓝色卷须一样。
A jellyfish galaxy was once a spiral like the Milky Way, spawning new stars from its gas and dust.
而就如同银河星系一样，原本螺旋状的水母星系从它的气体和尘埃中创造新的恒星。
But unlike the Milky Way, a jellyfish belongs to a cluster of galaxies.
但是不同的是水母星系属于一个星系团。
A recent analysis of Hubble telescope images led to the conclusion that extremely hot gas from the cluster is behind the formation of jellyfish.
目前经过哈勃太空望远镜所拍摄图片分析所得出的结论是来自星团的炽热气体是在水母星系群后面。
That study is in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
这项研究已经在《天体物理学》杂志上发表。
As the galaxy plows through space, this hot gas rips out the galaxy's own gas and dust, forming the long streamers behind the galaxy.
当该星系穿过太空时，这股热气把该星系自己的气体和尘埃扯碎，在星系后形成长长的飘带。
This torn-out gas still gives birth to new stars.
而被撕扯下来的气体形成新的恒星。
The brightest of these newborn stars shine blue.
其中最明亮的新星发出蓝色的光芒。
So the former disc-shaped galaxy metamorphosizes into a celestial jellyfish sporting long blue tendrils.
所以以前圆片形的星系变成一个飘着长长的绿色卷须的水母星系。
The galaxy will eventually literally run out of gas, and thus lose the ability to create any more new stars.
这个星系最终将会耗尽自身，丧失创造更多新星的能力。
Jellyfish in the sea can be deadly.
海里的水母可以置人于死地。
But in space, the mortally wounded victim is the jellyfish galaxy itself.
然而在太空里，可以对水母星系造成致命伤害的却是自己本身。
