Andromeda is a second Cartwheel Galaxy?

Ann · Post by **Ann** » Mon Aug 11, 2014 7:35 pm

: Click to view full size image

The Cartwheel galaxy. Credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA

The Cartwheel galaxy is famous for having received its trademark shape by colliding with a smaller galaxy. But fascinatingly, there might be a slightly similar, although much milder, example of a galactic bulls-eye creating a ring of star formation in a galaxy much closer to home.

: Click to view full size image

An infrared view of Andromeda.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

Although technically a spiral galaxy, Andromeda is really more ring-shaped than spiral. And the culprit responsible for creating this splash of expanding circular star formation in our big galactic neighbour is almost certainly compact dwarf galaxy M32.

Read a fascinating article about this cosmic trainwreck in our immediate galactic neighbourhood here.

Ann