Colliding Galaxies Create Stars |
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Written by spacetravel.org
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Sunday, 08 May 2005 21:45 |
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A team of German astronomers have used data from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) to provide the first direct evidence that galaxy collisions cause stars to form. The team detected radiation emitted by hydrogen molecules in two colliding galaxies, nicknamed the Antennae, which lie 60 million light-years away in the constellation Corvus. The radiation comes from the area where the galaxies overlap, and is generated by the collision itself, not by supernova explosions or regions of intense star formation. The team believes that shockwaves generated by the collision are exciting hydrogen molecules and generating the radiation that has been detected. This is the first evidence of the intermediate stage between galaxy collision and star formation.
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