NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a brilliant head-on collision between two galaxies that resulted in a strange triangle-shaped anomaly. The two galaxies that you see here are collectively called Arp 143, and if you look to the right, you’ll spot the star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2445. The duo appear to have passed through each other, creating the unique shaped star-formation firestorm in NGC 2445.
If you look to the left of NGC 2445, there’s NGC 2444, which is responsible for the unusual taffy-like strands of gas from its partner that seemingly forms a bridge between the two galaxies. Astronomers estimate the streamer stars were born between about 50-100 million years ago, while young stars, no older than 1-2 million years, are forming closer to the center of NGC 2445.
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Simulations show that head-on collisions between two galaxies is one way of making rings of new stars. Therefore, rings of star formation are not uncommon. However, what’s weird about this system is that it’s a triangle of star formation. Part of the reason for that shape is that these galaxies are still so close to each other and NGC 2444 is still holding on to the other galaxy gravitationally,” said Julianne Dalcanton, astronomer at New York’s Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics.
