Fact Sheet
Galactic Bracelet
A fiery ring of hot, young, blue stars encircles a galaxy in this recent image from Hubble Space Telescope. The ring formed when another galaxy (not shown in the picture) plowed through the host galaxy, sending shock waves rippling outward like the ripples on a pond after a rock is thrown in. The ripples compressed clouds of gas on the galaxy's perimeter, triggering an intense round of star formation. The ring of new stars spans about 150,000 light-years, which is larger than our own Milky Way galaxy. [Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team]
|