🌌 NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
Starburst Ring in Galaxy NGC 1317 Credit:
Date: 1996-12-11

Explanation:
Where do stars form? A typical place
is an area of dense nebular gas common
to arms in spiral galaxies. Sometimes,
however, a burst of star formation can occur with unusual geometry.
Nearby galaxy NGC 1317 shows such an unusual ring of star formation
surrounding its barred nucleus.
In the above image, older stars appear more red and are more evident
in the leftmost photograph in visible light. The rightmost photograph
taken by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope
is in ultraviolet and highlights
stars which are younger and bluer and shows the starbirth ring.
This unusual ring may be evidence of a gravitational encounter
with another galaxy, causing a density wave
to ripple out from the galaxy's center.







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