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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
STScI;
Processing:
J. English
(U. Manitoba);
Science: M. Rodruck
(Penn State U. &
Randolph-Macon C.)
et al.;
Text: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba).
Explanation:
When galaxies collide, how many stars are born?
For AM1054-325,
featured here in a recently released image by the
Hubble Space Telescope, the answer is millions.
Instead of stars
being destroyed
as galaxy AM1054-325 and a nearby galaxy
circle each other,
their gravity and motion has
ignited stellar creation.
Star formation occurs rapidly in the gaseous debris stretching from
AM1054-325Ás yellowish body due to the other galaxyÁs gravitational pull.
Hydrogen gas surrounding newborn
stars glows pink.
Bright infant
stars
shine blue
and cluster together in compact nurseries of thousands to
millions of stars.
AM1054-325 possesses over 100 of these intense-blue,
dot-like star clusters, some appearing like a
string
of
pearls.
Analyzing
ultraviolet light helped determine that most of these stars are less than 10
million years old:
stellar
babies.
Many of these nurseries may grow up to be
globular star clusters, while the bundle of young stars
at the bottom tip may even
detach and form a small galaxy.
Text: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba).
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: galactic collision
Publications with words: galactic collision
See also: