NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a cosmic bullseye. The gargantuan galaxy LEDA 1313424 is rippling with nine star-filled rings after an "arrow"--a far smaller blue dwarf galaxy--shot through its heart. Astronomers using Hubble identified eight visible rings, more than previously detected by any telescope in any galaxy, and confirmed a ninth using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Previous observations of other galaxies show a maximum of two or three rings.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a cosmic bullseye. The gargantuan galaxy LEDA 1313424 is rippling with nine star-filled rings after an "arrow"--a far smaller blue dwarf galaxy--shot through its heart. Astronomers using Hubble identified eight visible rings, more than previously detected by any telescope in any galaxy, and confirmed a ninth using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Previous observations of other galaxies show a maximum of two or three rings.
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