Astronomers from Arizona State University have made a groundbreaking discovery that sheds light on the dramatic consequences of galaxy collisions. These cosmic events lead to the formation of new stars and potentially new planets that would not have existed otherwise. The gravitational pull between colliding galaxies creates long, thin regions called tidal tails, which consist of stars and interstellar gas.
The Hubble Space Telescope’s remarkable vision has allowed scientists to observe clusters of newborn stars strung along these tidal tails. These clusters form as knots of gas collapse under gravitational force, creating about 1 million newborn stars per cluster. The astronomers have focused on 12 interacting galaxies with tadpole-like tidal tails and have identified 425 clusters of newborn stars along these tails.
In a study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope to study the age and mass of the tidal tail star clusters. They found that these clusters are very young, only 10 million years old, and seem to be forming at the same rate along tails spanning thousands of light-years.
Associate Professor Sanchayeeta Borthakur, an astronomer at ASU specializing in extragalactic astronomy, emphasized the significance of these observations in understanding the process of star formation. These findings provide crucial knowledge about how stars form in galaxies, contributing to our understanding of the formation of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.
The tantalizing question remains: what is the fate of these star clusters? They may evolve into globular star clusters, orbiting outside the plane of their host galaxy, or disperse to form a halo of stars around the galaxy. Alternatively, they may become wandering intergalactic stars, casting off into space as a result of the galactic collision.
This new understanding of the aftermath of galaxy collisions provides essential insights into the process of star formation and the evolution of galaxies. It serves as a reminder of the dynamic and ever-changing nature of the universe, offering scientists a deeper understanding of the life cycle of galaxies and the celestial bodies within them.