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Astronomy

Close encounters of the tidal kind

Nature volume 420, pages 38–39 (2002)Cite this article

Between the Magellanic Clouds, in a region swept with tides of gas, stars are forming. The detection of carbon monoxide shows gas is condensing, and further observations may reveal the ultimate fate of the clouds.

As giant galaxies merge, small galaxies may be born in the gaseous debris thrown out from the collision. This kind of 'tidal debris' is also seen in our own neighbourhood, as the Milky Way and two nearby galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds, act out a gravitational tug-of-war with each other. Writing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Muller et al.1 announce their detection of cold, dense molecular gas in the Magellanic tidal debris, signalling the birth of new stars in this inhospitable place and possibly offering a unique window on galaxy formation.

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Figure 1: Evidence of a violent past.

References

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  1. European Space Agency Telescope Division, currently at the Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, 21218, Maryland, USA

    Tommy Wiklind

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  1. Tommy Wiklind
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Correspondence to Tommy Wiklind.

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Wiklind, T. Close encounters of the tidal kind. Nature 420, 38–39 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/420038a

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