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Podcast: StarDate
Episode: Cartwheel Galaxy
Description: Galaxies frequently collide with each other, and the results can be spectacular. The encounters can pull out giant ribbons of stars. They can trigger intense bouts of starbirth. And they can scramble a galaxy’s stars and gas clouds, creating beautiful rings that look like cosmic bulls-eyes.
One well-known galaxy that’s experienced a head-on collision is the Cartwheel. It’s about 500 million light-years away, in the constellation Sculptor, which is low in the south on November evenings.
The Cartwheel is a good bit bigger than the Milky Way. It has a bright inner ring of mai...