04-21-2026, 10:48 PM
When galaxies collide. Not for awhile, and it will be relatively slow by astronomical distances and speeds.
Astronomers studying a slow-motion collision between two galaxies have uncovered a massive burst of new star formation. The new study co-authored by Dr. R. Pierre Martin, an astronomer at UH Hilo, takes a look at the interaction between two spiral galaxies, NGC2207 and IC 2163.
Using the integral field spectrograph SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT) atop Maunakea, the team analyzed more than 1,000 regions where new stars are forming — a group roughly 20 times larger than any previous study.
The research reveals that the collision, which began 440 million years ago, has ignited star formation up to 10 times the normal rate while dramatically scrambling the chemical composition across both galaxies, according to researchers. After circling one another for another 200 million years, the galaxies are expected to merge into a single galaxy.
https://mauinow.com/2026/03/30/uh-hilo-a...-maunakea/
Astronomers studying a slow-motion collision between two galaxies have uncovered a massive burst of new star formation. The new study co-authored by Dr. R. Pierre Martin, an astronomer at UH Hilo, takes a look at the interaction between two spiral galaxies, NGC2207 and IC 2163.
Using the integral field spectrograph SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT) atop Maunakea, the team analyzed more than 1,000 regions where new stars are forming — a group roughly 20 times larger than any previous study.
The research reveals that the collision, which began 440 million years ago, has ignited star formation up to 10 times the normal rate while dramatically scrambling the chemical composition across both galaxies, according to researchers. After circling one another for another 200 million years, the galaxies are expected to merge into a single galaxy.
https://mauinow.com/2026/03/30/uh-hilo-a...-maunakea/