Violent galactic interactions create vivid peacock clouds

18 Nov 2019

Violent galactic interactions create vivid peacock clouds

Violent galactic interactions create vivid peacock cloudsOne of our neighbouring galaxies is the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 163,000 light-years away.

Two colourful gas clouds shaped like peacocks with their tail feathers stretched in a fan have been spotted in this galaxy.
 	The Large Magellanic Cloud and its little sibling, the Small Magellanic Cloud are dwarf galaxies that act like satellites of our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
 	The colourful clouds were spotted by the 66 radio telescopes in Chile, collectively known as Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array or ALMA.

Astronomers have discovered that both galaxies contain several massive baby stars. Both the galaxies are also made up of complex gas filaments.

These 2 facts suggest that there has been a confrontation between the 2 clouds some 200 million years ago.
 	When galaxies interact with each other, massive stars can form.

The gravity of both the interacting galaxies is so huge, causing immense gaseous clouds within them to collide in a small area.

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One of our neighbouring galaxies is the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 163,000 light-years away. Two colourful gas clouds shaped like peacocks with their tail feathers […]

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