A stunning image resembling an owl captures two colliding ring-shaped galaxies, dubbed 'Comic Owl', revealing a cosmic event from 38 million years ago. This phenomenon, observed by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, showcases the mutual influence of the galaxies as they evolve. Ring galaxies, rare and only 0.01% of all galaxies, are illustrated by their symmetry and comparable mass, each with a diameter of approximately 26,000 light years. This collision provides a unique opportunity to study galactic mergers and their structures.
The collision occurred 38 million years ago, but only now is it being picked up by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Captured two ring galaxies colliding is even rarer, making this a 'unique' cosmic sight, according to the researchers.
Ring galaxies have been described as one of the rarest galaxy types found in the universe, accounting for just 0.01 per cent of all galaxies discovered.
The symmetry of the rings suggests a head-on collision origin between two galaxies of similar mass and structure.
Collection
[
|
...
]