February 5, 2025

The galaxy LEDA 131342

An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal Letters” reports a study of the galaxy LEDA 131342 that identified nine concentric rings composed of stars that make it look like a sort of cosmic bullseye. A team of researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii to identify these rings that form a truly extraordinary configuration considering that so far, galaxies with only two or three rings were known. The cause of this unique conformation is a dwarf galaxy that, according to calculations, about 50 million years ago passed through LEDA 131342 drastically changing its original shape.