The Hubble Telescope has captured a remarkable cosmic structure—LEDA 1313424—a galaxy surrounded by nine star-filled rings. While eight rings surrounding LEDA 1313424 were first observed by the Hubble Telescope, astronomers later confirmed the existence of a ninth ring. This confirmation came through additional data collected by the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii, marking the first detection of such a phenomenon with nine rings.
Formation of the rings
The researchers speculate that the first two rings in the Bullseye galaxy formed rapidly and spread outward. The creation of the remaining rings occurred in a staggered pattern, likely due to the dwarf galaxy's more significant impact on the initial rings.
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Rare cosmic event
Although galaxies often collide or pass by one another on cosmic timescales, it is extraordinarily rare for one galaxy to pass directly through the centre of another. An example of such a collision is the impending encounter between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy.
Impact of the blue dwarf galaxy
The rings were formed when a much smaller blue dwarf galaxy, referred to as an “arrow,” shot through the heart of the larger galaxy. This cosmic impact occurred about 50 million years ago, and its effects left behind the striking rings surrounding the galaxy.
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Astronomers used both land and space-based telescopes to study this collision, confirming the path of the blue dwarf galaxy, which travelled through the center-left part of LEDA 1313424, creating the mesmerizing ripple effect.
Gigantic structure in the universe
The Bullseye galaxy, at 250,000 light-years across, is nearly two-and-a-half times larger than our Milky Way, which measures approximately 100,000 light-years in diameter. This vast size, coupled with the collision, explains the extraordinary number of rings seen in this distant galaxy.
(With inputs from agencies)