Hubble spots 'bullseye' galaxy with 9 rings

February 9, 2025
Imma Perfetto

Cosmos science journalist



LEDA 1313424, aptly nicknamed the Bullseye, and the blue dwarf galaxy that punched through it sits to its immediate center-left. Credit: NASA, ESA, Imad Pasha (Yale), Pieter van Dokkum (Yale)



Astronomers have discovered a massive galaxy, LEDA 1313424, with the most rings ever seen. The ring galaxy, which is 2.5 times larger than the Milky Way, has been nicknamed “the Bullseye”.

A relatively tiny blue dwarf galaxy punched straight through its centre about 50 million years ago and, like a stone dropped into a pond, left behind ripples in its wake. A thin trail of gas now links the pair, which are currently separated by 130,000 light-years.

“We’re catching the Bullseye at a very special moment in time,” says Pieter van Dokkum, professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University in the US and co-author of an article presenting the findings in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

“There’s a very narrow window after the impact when a galaxy like this would have so many rings.”

More:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/bullseye-galaxy-with-9-rings/