NishMath - #galaxies

The Bullseye galaxy, also known as LEDA 1313424, has been revealed as a unique ring galaxy with an unprecedented nine concentric rings. This makes it significantly different from other ring galaxies, as prior to the 2025 discovery of the Bullseye galaxy, no other galaxy had been found with more than three concentric rings. This rare class of galaxies, representing only 1 in 10,000 galaxies, typically forms after a galactic collision which appears as a central galaxy surrounded by a well-defined ring of stars.

The Bullseye galaxy is a spiral galaxy that is in the process of transforming into a ring galaxy. This is because a galactic collision occurred around 50 million years ago. High-resolution imagery from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope confirmed eight rings, and data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii confirmed a ninth ring. Hubble and Keck also pinpointed the cause: a blue dwarf galaxy that sits to the immediate center-left of the main galaxy.


References :

• bigthink.com: Details the formation of ring galaxies and the unique characteristics of the Bullseye galaxy with its multiple concentric rings.
• hubblesite.org: Shows a Hubble Space Telescope image of two galaxies in the process of collision, creating a ring-like shape.
• StartsWithABang: The Bullseye galaxy: a ring galaxy with a resonant twist Yes, it's cool to witness a ring galaxy in the process of forming. But with the Bullseye galaxy, we get nine concentric rings: six more than any galaxy, ever, has displayed.

Classification:

• HashTags: #GalaxyFormation #RingGalaxies #CosmicRings
• Company: BigThink
• Target: Galaxies
• Product: Astronomy
• Feature: Formation
• Type: Research
• Severity: Medium