The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a galaxy with a record-breaking nine rings, a result of a galactic collision that occurred 50 million years ago. The galaxy, formally known as LEDA 1313424, is nicknamed the Bullseye due to its striking appearance.
The rings were formed when a small blue dwarf galaxy passed directly through the center of LEDA 1313424, a galaxy nearly twice the size of the Milky Way. This rare event triggered new regions of star formation in LEDA 1313424, as gas was ejected outward during the galaxy's passage, mixing with dust to form new stars and brighten the rings.
The eight ripples seen by Hubble were confirmed by data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, which revealed a ninth ring. This discovery marks the most rings ever observed in a galaxy, surpassing the previous record of three rings.
The Bullseye galaxy supports predictions from computational models, which suggest the rings expand outward from the point of collision. The researchers believe the first two rings formed rapidly and spread out in wider circles, while subsequent rings may have formed in a more staggered manner.
This discovery will help improve modeling of galactic collisions and the team hopes more galaxies like the Bullseye will be found soon. The upcoming launch of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to facilitate the discovery of similar events.