Astronomers in Ashland, Virginia have made an intriguing discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope observed 12 interacting galaxies and revealed long tidal tails rich in gas, dust, and stars. The tidal tails contain 425 clusters of newborn stars, each with up to 1 million blue, newborn stars. The research sheds light on the impact of galaxy collisions on star formation.
When galaxies collide, a gravitational tug-of-war ensues, pulling gas and dust into long streamers. The Hubble Space Telescope’s sharp vision allowed astronomers to see clusters of newborn stars strung along these tidal tails. These clusters form when knots of gas gravitationally collapse to create about 1 million newborn stars per cluster.
Contrary to common belief, galaxy collisions do not destroy stars. In fact, they trigger the formation of new generations of stars and potentially accompanying planets. The Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered 425 clusters of newborn stars along the tidal tails of 12 interacting galaxies, each looking like strings of holiday lights.
It has been known for decades that clusters form in these tidal tails during galaxy interactions. The clusters appear to be very young, only 10 million years old, and seem to be forming at the same rate along tails stretching for thousands of light-years.
Lead author Michael Rodruck of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, expressed surprise at the abundance of young objects in the tidal tails. He stated that the findings tell us a lot about cluster formation efficiency and provide insight into the process of building up new generations of stars due to galaxy collisions.
The fate of these star clusters is uncertain, as they may evolve into globular star clusters or disperse to form a halo of stars around their host galaxy. The findings from these nearby galaxies observed by the Hubble Space Telescope may also provide insight into the early universe when galaxy collisions were more frequent. This research serves as a laboratory for looking into the distant past and understanding the impacts of galaxy collisions on star formation.
This discovery adds significant insight into the impact of galaxy interactions on star formation and challenges existing beliefs about the destructive nature of such collisions. With further research and exploration, astronomers hope to gain a better understanding of the formation and evolution of stars as a result of galaxy collisions.