ann1409 — Announcement

Hubblecast 76: Merging galaxies and droplets of starbirth

Hubble snaps “beads on a string” star formation between two merging elliptical galaxies

10 July 2014

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a merger between two elliptical galaxies in the cluster known as SDSS J1531+3414. Finding two ellipticals merging is rare, but it is even rarer to find a merger between elliptical galaxies that is so rich in gas that it can induce star formation. This Hubblecast explores this rare event and the unusual “beads on a string” type of star formation that has occurred.

Directed by: Georgia Bladon
Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser
Written by: Nicky Guttridge and Georgia Bladon
Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa
Images: NASA, ESA
Videos: NASA, ESA
- Dripping water video (04:33): Dirk Essl
- Galaxy formation animation (04:44): Klaus Dolag (MPA, Garching)
Music: Steve Buick
Web and technical support: Mathias Andre and Raquel Yumi Shida
Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen