Free Astronomy Magazine July-August 2023

16 JULY-AUGUST 2023 ASTRO PUBLISHING A new image of the Taffy Galaxies by NOIRLab − Josie Fenske G alaxy collisions are transfor- mative events, largely re- sponsible for driving the evo- lution of the Universe. The mixing and mingling of stellar material is an incredibly dynamic process that can lead to the formation of molec- ular clouds populated with newly forming stars. But, a head-on colli- sion between the two galaxies UGC 12914 (left) and UGC 12915 (right) 25–30 million years ago appears to have resulted in a different kind of structure — a bridge of highly tur- bulent material spanning the two galaxies. Though this intergalactic bridge is teeming with star-forming material, its turbulent nature is sup- pressing star formation. This pair of galaxies, nicknamed the Taffy Galaxies, is located about 180 million light-years away in the direc- tion of the constellation Pegasus. This new image, captured with Gemini North, one half of the Inter- national Gemini Observatory, oper- ated by NSF’s NOIRLab, showcases the fascinating feature that gave them their name. A tenuous bridge composed of narrow molecular fil- aments, shown in brown, and clumps of hydrogen gas, shown in red, can be seen between the two galaxies. Its complex web structure resem- bles taffy being stretched as the pair slowly separates.