Four small, rare galaxies are on the verge of merging into one larger galaxy, according to University Asst. Astronomy Prof. Kelsey Johnson and researchers from Youngstown State University and the University of Western Ontario.
The timing of this galaxy formation is odd when compared to the rest of the universe, as most of the known elliptical galaxies have undergone the process already. The galaxies of Compact Group 31, those which were discovered by Johnson and her research team, are substantially behind their counterparts, Johnson said.
Researchers hope to use the peculiar group to study the process of combining several galaxies into one.
"This particular case study is really interesting because it gives us an idea how [these elliptical galaxies of the universe] might have formed," said Sarah Gallagher, assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario.
Astronomers have reasoned that this particular group has yet to merge because its environment is less dense than the environment in which galaxies are typically found, Johnson said.
"For a long time, things just sort of happened slowly and quietly and they took their time," she said, "and it's only now that they are getting into this final merger dance with each other."
When the galaxies collide and begin to merge, the process of rapid star formation will begin, Johnson said. When the merging process is complete and star formation ceases, a new galaxy about the size of the Milky Way, but more spherical, will form, Johnson said.
Astronomers were pleasantly surprised by what the Hickson Compact Group 31 had to offer.
"I would say that we intentionally chose this as an object of study, but we didn't anticipate all of the results that we found," Gallagher said.
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