Large-scale asymmetry between spin patterns of spiral galaxies

Abstract

Spin patterns of spiral galaxies can be broadly separated into galaxies with clockwise (Z-wise) patterns and galaxies with counterclockwise (S-wise) spin patterns. While the differences between these patterns are visually noticeable, they are a matter of the perspective of the observer, and therefore in a sufficiently large universe no other differences are expected between galaxies with Z-wise and S-wise patterns. Here large datasets of spiral galaxies separated by their spin patterns are used to show that spiral galaxies with Z-wise spin patterns are photometrically different from spiral galaxies with S-wise patterns. That asymmetry changes based on the direction of observation, such that the observed asymmetry in one hemisphere is aligned with the inverse observed asymmetry in the opposite hemisphere. The results are consistent across different sky surveys (SDSS and PanSTARRS) and analysis methods. The proximity of the most probable asymmetry axis to the galactic pole suggests that the asymmetry might be driven by relativistic beaming. Annotated data from SDSS and PanSTARRS are publicly available.