The Hubble Space Telescope keeps assisting scientists in solving the puzzles of the universe. It recently captured a fantastic image of the spiral galaxy UGC 3912 which, despite its spiral classification looks a bit wonky. This suggests it might have had a cosmic clash with another galaxy.
Looks can be deceiving.
Seen in this new #CosmicCollisions view, UGC 3912 is classified as a spiral galaxy. But its distorted shape is likely indicative of a gravitational encounter with another galaxy.
Find out why: https://t.co/mFMWH5flkH pic.twitter.com/UGVYPC2dCl
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) February 1, 2024
When galaxies meet and greet, everything inside them like stars, dust and gas can get tugged around. Experts think UGC 3912 used to be a neat spiral, but now it seems like it got a little messy, as if a giant thumb smudged its shape.
The Hubble Space Telescope took a peek at UGC 3912 to dig into the fireworks of supernovae – those dramatic star explosions that outshine our Sun by a lot. This trusty telescope is checking out a specific kind called Type II where there’s plenty of hydrogen involved, according to NASA.
This galaxy is so beautiful with the blues ⭐️
— Manasa Adireddi (@ManasaAdireddi1) February 1, 2024
Even though scientists have spotted many Type II supernovae, there’s a puzzling mix of how bright they are and their spectra. This leaves a bunch of questions unanswered about what exactly is going on with these stellar explosions.
SEE ALSO: Astrophotographer Captures One Of The Clearest Images Of Moon That Will Leave You In Awe