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Judi Lynn

(162,703 posts)
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 06:47 AM Yesterday

Rare string of 'cosmic pearls' dance together in the universe

By Robert Lea published 22 hours ago

A rare group of aligned, star-birthing dwarf galaxies resemble a cosmic string of pearls.



An illustration of five galaxies aligned like a string of pearls. (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva))


Astronomers have discovered a rare group of five dwarf galaxies located relatively close to Earth; these galaxies exist in a near-perfect alignment, resembling a string of cosmic pearls in the sky.

Held together by their mutual gravity, several of the dwarf galaxies (designated D1 to D5) are rhythmically dancing with one another while others are engaged in a "cosmic tug of war," ripping gas and stars away from each other.

The scientists behind this discovery say these factors make this dwarf galaxy grouping particularly intriguing. The arrangement may be as challenging as it is beautiful, potentially posing a problem for our best model of cosmic evolution.

The observed dwarf galaxies sit relatively close to Earth at just around 117 million light-years away.

"These galaxies are small, faint and rich in gas, yet all of them are actively forming new stars — a surprising trait for dwarf galaxies in a group," team leader Cristiano G. Sabiu of the University of Seoul told Space.com. "Even more striking is their nearly perfect alignment in the sky, forming a distinct 'string of cosmic pearls.'"

More:
https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/rare-string-of-cosmic-pearls-dance-together-in-the-universe

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