Astronomers have discovered an unusual galaxy located 250 million light years from Earth.
Astronomers have discovered an extraordinary galaxy-“Frankenstein”, which, most likely, was formed from parts of other galaxies.
As reported on the NASA site, scientists initially adopted UGC 1382 for a little old and quite ordinary galaxy, but further study showed that it is 10 times more than I originally thought, and its inner part is much younger than the outside.
According to scientists, this galaxy-“Frankensteins” are formed and able to survive due to the fact that they are on remote areas of the Universe where the other galaxies are unable to disturb them.
Scientists discovered the galaxy by accident. They explored the space in search of stars that are formed in ordinary elliptical galaxies, assuming UGC 1382 one of them. But the observation of the galaxy in ultraviolet light has revealed spiral arms that extend far beyond the galaxy. It turned out that UGC 1382 extends to 718 thousand light-years and seven times wider than the milky Way. This makes it one of the three biggest disk galaxies, discovered at the moment.
Scientists say that the inner part of the UGC 1382 younger than external. This can be compared with the discovery-tree, whose inner ring is younger than the outside. According to the researchers, this means that the galaxy formed from different parts. Presumably, about three billion years ago, a small group of galaxies caught in a gravitational field a young lenticular galaxies that led to the formation of UGC 1382.
