Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2024

T his“penguinparty”isloud!Thedistortedspiralgalaxyatcenter,thePenguin,andthecompactellipticalgalaxyatleft,theEgg, arelockedinanactiveembrace.Anewnear-andmid-infraredimagefromtheJamesWebbSpaceTelescope,takentomarkits secondyearofscience,showsthattheirinteractionismarkedbyafaintupside-downU-shapedblueglow.Thepair,knownjointly asArp142,madetheirfirstpassbetween25and75millionyearsago—causing“fireworks,”ornewstarformation,inthePenguin. Inthemostextremecases,mergerscancausegalaxiestoformthousandsofnewstarsperyear,forafewmillionyears.Forthe Penguin,researchhasshownthatabout100to200starshaveformedperyear.Bycomparison,ourMilkyWaygalaxy(whichisnot interacting with a galaxy of the same size) forms roughly six to seven new stars per year. [NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI] إن " ﺣﻔﻠـــﺔ اﻟ ﻄﺮ ـــﻖ " ! ﺻـــﺎﺧ ﺔ ﻫـــﺬﻩ اﻟﻤﺠـــﺮة اﻟـــ ـ ﺤﻠﺰ وﻧ ﺔ اﻟﻤﺸـــﻮﻫﺔ ﻓـــﻲ اﻟﻤﺮﻛـــﺰ اﻟ ﻄﺮ ـــﻖ واﻟﻤﺠـــ ـــﺔ ﻓـــﻲ اﻟ ﺴـــﺎر اﻟﺒ ﻀـــﺔ ﺮة اﻹﻫﻠ ﻠﺠ ﻣﺤﺒﻮﺳـــﺘﺎن ﻓـــﻲ اﺣﺘﻀﺎن ﻧﺸﻂ . ﺗُﻈﻬﺮ ﺻﻮرة اﻷﺷﻌﺔ ﺗﺤﺖ اﻟـ ـ ﻤﺮاء ﺑﻮاﺳـﻄﺔ ـﺐ اﻟﻔﻀـﺎﺋﻲ ﺗﻠﺴـ ﻮبﺟـ ﻤﺲو ﺗـﻢ اﻟﺘﻘﺎﻃﻬـﺎ ﻤﻨﺎﺳـ ﺔ ﻋﺎﻣـﮫ اﻟﺜـﺎﻧﻲﻣـﻦ واﻟـ ﻣﻬﻤﺘـﮫ اﻟﻌ ﻠﻤ ﺔ أن ﺗﻔﺎﻋﻠﻬﻤﺎ ﺘﻤ ﺘﻮﻫﺞ أزرقﺧﺎﻓﺖ ﻣﻘﻠﻮب ﻋﻠﻰﺷـ ﻞ ﺣـﺮف U . ﻗـﺎم اﻟ ﺜﻨـﺎﺋﻲ اﻟﻤﻌـﺮوف ﺎﺳـﻢ ) Arp142 ( ـﺄول ﻣـﺮور ﻟـﮫ ﻣﻨـﺬ ﻣـﺎ ﺑـ 25 و 75 ﻣﻠﻴﻮنﺳﻨﺔ ﻣﻤﺎ أد إﻟﻰﻇﻬﻮر " ﺗﺪﻓﻘﺎت " أو ﺗﺸﻜﻴﻞ ﻧ ﻢ ﺟﺪ ﺪ ﻓﻲ اﻟ ﻄﺮﻖ . ـ ﻓـﻲ اﻟـ ﺤﺎﻻت اﻟﻘﺼـﻮى ﻤﻜـﻦ ﻻﻧـﺪﻣﺎﺟﺎت اﻟﻤﺠـﺮات أن ﺗﺘﺴـ ﺐ ﻓـﻲ ـــﻮﻳﻦ ﻵﻻف اﻟﻨﺠـــﻮم اﻟـــ ﺗ ـ ﺠﺪ ﺪة ﺳـــﻨﻮ ﺎً ﻣـــﻦ اﻟﺴـــﻨ ﻟ ﻀـــﻌﺔ ﻣﻼﻳـــ . ﺎﻟﻨﺴـــ ﺔ ﻟﻠ ﻄﺮ ـــﻖ أﻇﻬـــﺮ اﻷﺑﺤـــﺎث أن ﺣـــﻮاﻟﻲ 100 إﻟـــﻰ 200 ـــﻢ ﺘﺸـــ ﻞﺳـــﻨﻮ ﻧ ﺎً و ﺎﻟﻤﻘﺎرﺔ ﻓﺈن ﻣﺠﺮﻨﺎ در اﻟﺘ ﺎﻧﺔ ) ﻻ ﺗﺘﻔﺎﻋﻞ ﻣﻊ ﻣﺠﺮة اﻟ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻔﺲ اﻟ ـ ( ﺤ ﻢ ﺗﺸ ﻞ ﻣﺎ ﻘﺮ ﻣﻦﺳﺘﺔ إﻟﻰﺳ ﻌﺔ ﻧﺠﻮم ﺟﺪ ﺪة ﻞ ﻋﺎم . ] NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI [