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Hubble Telescope Snaps Galaxy With Way More Rings Than Any Other
Amanda Kooser Forbes Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Amanda Kooser covers the quirky side of science and space.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an extraordinary image of a galaxy that is unlike any other in terms of its sheer number of rings. This galaxy, known as LEDA 1313424 or the Bullseye for short, boasts nine distinct rings, which is far more than any other such celestial body.
According to NASA, this particular collision between two galaxies was an extremely rare event, with the smaller blue dwarf galaxy effectively acting like a cosmic arrow through the heart of its larger counterpart. This unprecedented occurrence has provided researchers with a unique opportunity to study ring formation in detail.
As seen in images released by NASA, the Bullseye is a gargantuan galaxy that measures 250,000 light-years across, while our own Milky Way is only around 100,000 light-years in diameter. Its sheer size and unusual properties make it an extraordinary subject of study for astronomers.
The researchers involved in this project utilized Hubble data to take a closer look at the galaxy and trace the culprit behind its rings. According to Pieter van Dokkum, a Yale astronomer and co-author of the study, the timing was crucial in capturing this exceptional image. “We’re catching the Bullseye at a very special moment in time,” he emphasized. “There’s a very narrow window after the impact when a galaxy like this would have so many rings.”
The data gathered by Hubble suggests that the blue dwarf galaxy made its way through the center of the Bullseye, causing significant disruption and creating these numerous rings. The team behind the study found that their observations aligned with predictions based on models of ring formation.
Furthermore, the research highlights an interesting phenomenon in which the outer rings are more spaced out than the inner ones. It is believed that the initial two rings formed quickly during the collision, while any subsequent formations may have been slightly staggered due to the blue dwarf’s influence on the first rings.
In a remarkable display of cosmic proportions, the blue dwarf galaxy not only put a ring on it but put at least nine rings on it, truly earning its name “the Bullseye”.
Source: http://www.forbes.com
