It is tempting to think of a supernatural hand behind the arrangement of bodies.
Nature's flow presents many fascinations as the Universe is big and even.
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.
The streams are called tidal tails by theAstronomers. 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 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 the evolution of the universe.
A Catalog of Southern Peculiar Galaxies and Associations is part of the observing project. It was published in 1987 by two people. There are 25 different types of objects in the catalog.
Since the Atlas and the Catalog were published, the knowledge of interacting and merging galaxies has increased. Mergers are an important part of the evolution of the universe.
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.
Astronomers call ISFOs "tidal dwarf galaxies". According to a 2012 paper, about 6 percent of dwarf galaxies could be tidal.
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 percent of the universe is merging with other universes, according to astronomer. 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?
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 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.
This article was published in the past. The original article is worth a read.
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