UGC 12914 and UGC 12915, commonly referred to as the Taffy Galaxies, exhibit a unique twisted shape due to a head-on collision that took place approximately 25 million years before their capture in the image[3]. The aftermath of this cosmic event led to the formation of a bridge composed of highly turbulent gas, which spans the gap between the two galaxies. Contrary to typical galaxy collisions that often result in star formation, the turbulent nature of the gas in this bridge has actually inhibited the formation of new stars. Located about 180 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, the Taffy Galaxies serve as a fascinating example of the diverse outcomes that can arise from galactic collisions.
Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Bartmann/D. De Martin
Image Processing: M. Rodriguez (NSF’s NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Rodriguez (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
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