bull’s eye collision tagged posts

Dubbed “Kathryn’s Wheel” after the famous firework it resembles and after the wife of the paper’s second author. Such systems are very rare and arise from “bulls-eye” collisions between 2 galaxies of similar mass. Shockwaves from the collision compress reservoirs of gas in each galaxy and trigger the formation of new stars. This creates a spectacular ring of intense emission, and lights up the system like a Catherine wheel firework on bonfire night.

Galaxies grow through collisions but it is rare to catch one in the process, and extremely rare to see a bull’s-eye collision in progress. Fewer than 20 systems with complete rings are known. This occurred in the constellation of Ara (the Altar).

Kathryn’s Wheel was discovered during a special wide field survey of the Southern Milky Way undert...