wavelengths, it is probably safe to assume the abnormalities are not errors in image processing but do in fact exist. They suggest that Maffei 2 has been disrupted by another galaxy.
Interestingly, Maffei 2 has no atomic hydrogen gas in its nucleus. This absence is somewhat sur- prising, since stars are forming so rapidly there. Stars form when giant clouds of gas collapse under the pull of gravity, so how is it possible that astronomers detect no hydrogen gas in Maffei 2ΓÇÖs nucleus? The answer is that the gas, although present, may not take the form of atomic hydrogen. It can form into molecules, which are difficult to detect and must be observed at other wavelengths.
