Strange triangular shape between two galaxies is photographed by Hubble Telescope

An unusual triangle shape made up of two galaxies colliding in a kind of cosmic tug of war has been imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.

The head-on collision between the two galaxies fueled a frenzy of star formation, creating an “eccentric triangle of newly formed stars”, as NASA described in a press release.

The set of colliding galaxies is called Arp 143. The one at the center of the triangle is known as NGC 2445, awash in gases that trigger the birth of stars. Its less flashy counterpart is NGC 2444.

NASA suggested that the galaxies passed each other, starting a storm of stars bursting into life in the galaxy NGC 2445.

“The simulations show that head-on collisions between two galaxies are a way of making rings of new stars,” said astronomer Julianne Dalcanton of the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute in New York and the University of Washington in Seattle in press release.

“Star forming rings are not uncommon. However, what is strange about this system is that it forms a triangle. Part of the reason is that these galaxies are still so close together and NGC 2444 is still gravitationally holding the other galaxy.”

The two galaxies are in a kind of tug of war. And NGC 24444, which is not surrounded by the stellar triangle, appears to be winning the battle, NASA said.

“NGC 2444 may also have an invisible hot halo of gas that could help pull NGC 2445’s gas away from its core. Therefore, they are still not completely free of each other, and their unusual interaction is what is distorting the ring in this triangle,” Dalcanton said.

NGC 244 is also responsible for pulling strings of gas from its partner, attracting young, blue stars that appear to form a bridge between the two galaxies.

While most of the action is happening in NGC 2445, the duo’s other galaxy has been stretched strangely. This galaxy contains only old stelae and no new star formation.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a collaboration between NASA and ESA.

Source: CNN Brasil

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