Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found a stunning burst of star formation that beams out as much infrared light as an entire galaxy.
The "starburst" stands as the most luminous ever seen taking place away from the centers, or nuclei, of merging parent galaxies. The new findings show that galaxy mergers can pack a real star-making wallop far from their respective galactic centers, where star-forming dust and gases typically pool.
Read the full story at:
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/1224-feature10-19-Spitzer-Reveals-a-Buried-Explosion-Sparked-by-a-Galactic-Train-Wreck .
The "starburst" stands as the most luminous ever seen taking place away from the centers, or nuclei, of merging parent galaxies. The new findings show that galaxy mergers can pack a real star-making wallop far from their respective galactic centers, where star-forming dust and gases typically pool.
Read the full story at:
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/1224-feature10-19-Spitzer-Reveals-a-Buried-Explosion-Sparked-by-a-Galactic-Train-Wreck .