The elliptical galaxy NGC 4388, situated in the Virgo Cluster approximately 60 million light-years from Earth, features an intriguing long tail of glowing gas, as shown in a recent image uploaded to the Hubble site in late 2025. This galaxy, viewed edge-on from Earth’s perspective, displays a bright spur of ionized gas spilling out from its core. There is significant scientific interest in the forces causing this gas stripping, as this specific spur was not visible in previous photographs.
Hot cluster gas strips NGC 4388
According to NASA, NGC 4388 is ploughing through hot gas in the Virgo cluster, which acts like a cosmic headwind on the galaxy. NASA notes that “pressure from hot intracluster gas whisks away gas from NGC 4388’s disc, causing it to trail behind.”
This process – known as ram-pressure stripping—leaves a streak of material behind the galaxy and can slowly deplete its gas reservoir, slowing future star formation.
Black hole powers glowing tail
Why the gas glows remains unclear, but astronomers suggest that NGC 4388’s central black hole plays a key role. Its superheated accretion disk emits intense radiation that could ionize nearby material, while shock waves from the galaxy’s rapid motion through the Virgo Cluster may light up the more distant filaments.
According to NASA, the new image incorporates data from additional wavelengths that bring the previously invisible ionized gas cloud into view.
These filters highlight the otherwise faint glowing gas, underscoring the energetic processes at work in the galaxy’s core. NGC 4388’s glowing gas likely originates from radiation near its central black hole and shock waves, as revealed by multi-wavelength NASA imaging that highlights previously invisible ionized clouds within the galaxy
