Astronomers discover new 'Tidal Dwarf' galaxy in Leo constellation

Berlin: Astronomers have discovered a new galaxy in the Leo constellation, it was announced on Tuesday. The astronomers, from the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany and the Jagiellonian University in Poland, say that the new galaxy has emerged from the merger of two other galaxies. It was observed near the Milky Way and it believed to be the closest recycled galaxy that has been observed so far. A report on the new discovery was published in the Astrophysical Journal. [caption id=“attachment_1521985” align=“alignleft” width=“300”]  Image used for representation purpose[/caption] The new celestial object is relatively faint and contains only a few stars, but has many uncharged gases, which could be a birth place for more stars in the future. Analysis showed the so-called Tidal Dwarf Galaxy probably arose by forcible tidal forces attributable to the gravitational pull of the spiral galaxies, NGC 3627 and 3628, two large members of the Leo triplet, Xinhua reported. Researchers also confirmed that the celestial object in the Leo triplet had a small amount of dark matter, compared to galaxies that are not affected by tidal forces. “Such objects are of particular interest to astronomers because they develop and interact with their surroundings in a different way than the non-tidal galaxies,” Bomans said. According to the Ruhr University Bochum, data on the new galaxy was recorded in New Mexico and analysed by its report writing teams. IANS