It is tempting to think of a supernatural hand behind the arrangement of bodies. The Universe is large, even, and nature has many fascinations.

There is an arrangement of interacting galaxies that is both visually and scientifically interesting.

There are three small galaxies interacting around 200 million light years away in the constellation Virgo. There are two galaxies in the background and one in the foreground. As the galaxies tug on one another, a stream of stars, gas, and dust creates a connection.

Arp 248 is also known as Wild's Triplet, after astronomer Paul Wild (1923–2008), who studied the trio in the early 1950s. Image Credit: By Credit Line and Copyright Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona - http://www.caelumobservatory.com/gallery/wilds.shtml, CC BY-SA 3.0 us, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20540032
Arp 248 is also known as Wild’s Triplet, after astronomer Paul Wild (1923–2008), who studied the trio in the early 1950s. Image Credit: By Credit Line and Copyright Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona – http://www.caelumobservatory.com/gallery/wilds.shtml, CC BY-SA 3.0 us, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20540032

The streams are called tidal tails byAstronomers. The merger often forms tails. The material in the tails is from the outer spiral disks of the merging galaxies.

The top image is from an observing project The Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies was written by an American astronomer. The Atlas contains a lot of strange looking galaxies. He wanted it to show the different types of structures that the universe takes.

The Universe is full of galaxies whose shape has been altered by interactions and mergers. This is Centaurus A, an elliptical galaxy that merged with a spiral galaxy around 300 million years ago. The merger created the dark dust lane, which is not usually a feature of elliptical galaxies. The merger also formed a spiral of gases in Centaurus A's core. Image Credit: ESA
The Universe is full of galaxies whose shape has been altered by interactions and mergers. This is Centaurus A, an elliptical galaxy that merged with a spiral galaxy around 300 million years ago. The merger created the dark dust lane, which is not usually a feature of elliptical galaxies. The merger also formed a spiral of gases in Centaurus A’s core. Image Credit: ESA

The strange shapes of the galaxies are due to them interacting and possibly merging. The forms were caused by ejections, according to Arp. Astronomers weren't very knowledgeable about how galaxies change over time, and he wanted them to use his Atlas to study galaxy evolution

A Catalogue of Southern Peculiar Galaxies and Associations is part of the second collection. It was published in 1987 by two people. There are 25 different types of objects in the catalogue.

Since the Atlas and the Catalogue were published, the knowledge of interacting galaxies has increased. Mergers are an important part of the evolution of the universe.

Interacting galaxies are found throughout the Universe, sometimes as dramatic collisions that trigger bursts of star formation, on other occasions as stealthy mergers that result in new galaxies. These images are from a series of 59 images of colliding galaxies released from archived raw images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI
Interacting galaxies are found throughout the Universe, sometimes as dramatic collisions that trigger bursts of star formation, on other occasions as stealthy mergers that result in new galaxies. These images are from a series of 59 images of colliding galaxies released from archived raw images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI

Astronomers are uncovering a new class of objects that they call "Intergalactic star-forming objects" ISFOs are objects that capture the different types of objects that occur in the universe. The formation of ISFOs can be caused by tidal interactions. The inflow of gas and dust to the tails can lead to the development of them. ISFOs can range in size from small to large. According to a 2012 paper, about 6 percent of dwarf galaxies could have tidal origins.

This image shows NGC7252, a peculiar galaxy that formed from a merger between two galaxies over a billion years ago. The white circles highlight the locations of two tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs) forming in the tails. Researchers think that about 6% of dwarf galaxies are TDGs. Image Credit: Frederic Bournaud/Pierre-Alain Duc.
This image shows NGC7252, a peculiar galaxy formed from a merger between two galaxies over a billion years ago. The white circles highlight the locations of two tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs) forming in the tails. Researchers think that about 6% of dwarf galaxies are TDGs. Image Credit: Frederic Bournaud/Pierre-Alain Duc.

ISFOs are bound to the stars, but how long do they stay there? The material from the tidal streams can cause more star formation. Dust and metals are enriched by the leftover material.

About 25% of the universe is merging with other universes, according toAstronomers. The Harvard Center for Astrophysics says that more of them are interacting. The gas and stars from the Sagittarius Dwarf and the Magellanic Clouds can be seen in our galaxy. In several billions of years, the stars will come together. What could arise from that event?

This series of photo illustrations shows the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighbouring Andromeda galaxy. Credit: NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas, and A. Mellinger
This series of photo illustrations shows the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighbouring Andromeda galaxy. Credit: NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas, and A. Mellinger

There is an open area of inquiry about how SMBHs grow so big. Astrophysicists know that mergers are part of the growth process, but they don't know many things.

The James Webb Space Telescope captured this image of Stephan's Quintet. It's a fivesome of galaxies, of which four are interacting, and the fifth is only visually associated. The left-most galaxy is NGC7320 which is well in the foreground of the other four. The image is a composite of almost 1,000 separate images. The four stars and their interactions produce tails, regions of active star formation, glittering regions containing millions of young stars, and shock waves from NGC 7318B, the top one of the pair of galaxies closest together, as it bullies its way through the cluster. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
The James Webb Space Telescope captured this image of Stephan’s Quintet. It’s a fivesome of galaxies, four interacting, and the fifth is only visually associated. The left-most galaxy is NGC7320 which is well in the foreground of the other four. The image is a composite of almost 1,000 separate images. The four stars and their interactions produce tails, regions of active star formation, glittering regions containing millions of young stars, and shock waves from NGC 7318B as it bullies its way through the cluster. NGC 7318B is the top one in the pair of galaxies closest together. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys scrutinized this assortment of unusual interacting galaxies to lay the groundwork for more detailed study in the future Some of these targets will be examined by the Hubble and other instruments. Astronomers will be able to allocate time better because of this project.

More:

galaxiesinteracting galaxiesArpImage Credit
Related News
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs prevail against Buffalo Bills, win wild AFC divisional game in overtime
Popular on TVN
Stay In Touch

All Rights Reserved © 2024