Some of the more intriguing objects in Universe are ring galaxies
like the one pictured above—Zw II 28. Ring galaxies are mysterious
objects thought to form when one galaxy slices through the disk of
another, larger, one. Because galaxies are mostly empty space this
collision is not as aggressive or as destructive as one might imagine.
The likelihood of two stars physically colliding is minimal, and it is
instead the gravitational effects of the two galaxies that cause the
disruption.
This disruption upsets the material in both galaxies, and redistributes
it forming a dense central core, encircled by bright stars. All this
commotion causes clouds of gas and dust to collapse and triggers new
periods of intense star formation in the outer ring, which is full of
hot, young, blue stars and regions that are actively giving rise to new
stars. The sparkling pink and purple loop of Zw II 28 is not a typical
ring galaxy due to its lack of a visible central companion. For many
years it was thought to be a lone circle on the sky, but observations
using Hubble have shown that there may be a possible companion lurking
just inside the ring, where the loop appears to double back on itself.
The galaxy has a knot-like, swirling ring structure, with some areas
appearing much brighter than others.
Source: The Daily Galaxy via NASA
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