Astronomers were able to discover an ancient catastrophe that befell the globe, dating back more than half a billion years ago, but it redraws the history of the universe and the development of life on the planet and is of great importance in determining the path of humanity.
A report published by the British newspaper “Metro” said that the “James Webb” telescope of the US Space Agency “NASA” monitored an incredible disaster that is half a billion years old, reports Al-Rai daily.
According to the details revealed by American scientists, thanks to this discovery, they were able to form another insight into the history of the universe, and indicated that this catastrophe that was discovered was a “cosmic collision between two galaxies that occurred half a billion years ago.”
The telescope image shows a glowing swirl of red and orange dotted with bright stars 120 million light-years away. However, something in the mass of stars and dust hints at its past, confirming the fact that it was once not one but two galaxies.
Scientists say that when galaxies collide, they direct the gas and dust needed together to form new stars, and this can be seen in the brighter regions, as young stars emit infrared light that radiates small grains of dust, giving the galaxy its distinctive glow captured by the telescope.
The research team said: “The galactic collision that caused the formation of (NGC 3256) led to a luminous explosion of star formation that can be seen in the brightest parts of the image.”
The team added: “These young stars shine most brightly at infrared wavelengths, and the light that can penetrate through the opaque dust in the galaxy, however, old stars are usually safe when galaxies collide, thanks to the large distances between them, as the The closest star to us after the Sun is Proxima Centauri, about 25 trillion miles away.
He went on to say, “If you were asked to photograph a galaxy collision, you might imagine the stars swaying with each other with catastrophic results.”
He added, “In fact, the interstellar spaces in the galaxy are vast. When galaxies collide, their star clouds pass through each other and mix like two clouds of smoke.” Scientists say their findings can teach them more about the formation of our galaxy.
And last January, the James Webb telescope spotted the first strange planet, as its first images, which were later revealed, showed the universe 13 billion years ago.