[Regnum] One of the most powerful shock waves in history that reached Earth from space was recorded by British astronomers. The corresponding article about the study was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS).According to scientists, the collision occurred in a group of galaxies called Stephan's Quintet, located 290 million light years from Earth.
Marina Arnaudova, an astrophysicist from the British University of Hertfordshire, clarified that the galaxy NGC 7318b crashed into a debris field and compressed plasma and gas.
"The intruder reactivated the plasma, causing it to glow brightly at radio frequencies and likely triggered the star formation process," she added.
The event, scientists say, is a "rare chance" for humanity to see a complex combination of colliding galaxies. It could provide valuable insights into how visible galaxies form.
As reported by IA Regnum, on October 31, the European Southern Observatory presented an image of a nebula called the "Dark Wolf Nebula" because its silhouette resembles the figure of a predator. Scientists discovered it in the constellation Scorpius. The nebula is located approximately 5,300 light years from Earth.
Earlier, NASA's James Webb telescope captured two galaxies, NGC 2936 and NGC 2937, which together formed a figure resembling a penguin with an egg. It was noted that the "egg" and "penguin" have been approaching each other for tens of millions of years and will eventually merge into one galaxy.