Supersonic Impact: Astronomers have detected a collision in space traveling at a speed of 3.2 million km/h (see photo).

Astronomers, utilizing a powerful ground-based telescope, witnessed a massive collision of galaxies traveling at a speed of 3.2 million km/h in a well-known location for galactic encounters called Stephan's Quintet. The research has been published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, reports Space.

The astronomers recorded one of the most powerful shockwaves ever observed. This event took place in Stephan's Quintet when one of the five galaxies in the system, known as NGC 7318b, collided with the other four.

The galaxy NGC 7318b, part of Stephan's Quintet, a group of five galaxies located 290 million light-years away, broke through the site of previous galactic collisions. Notably, Stephan's Quintet is one of the most compact groups of galaxies and serves as an example of large-scale galactic collisions.

According to scientists, past collisions among the galaxies in Stephan's Quintet left behind a complex field of debris. However, activity in this group of galaxies resumed when the galaxy NGC 7318b passed through the group of four galaxies at a speed of 3.2 million km/h. This event resulted in the emergence of an extremely powerful shockwave.

The maximum speed of the fastest manned military supersonic aircraft on Earth, the SR-71 Blackbird, is 4023 km/h. This is nearly four times the speed of sound. This means that the galaxy NGC 7318b was moving 800 times faster than the renowned aircraft.

Scientists note that NGC7318b collided with the debris field, compressing the plasma and gas within it. This collision activated the plasma in the galaxy itself, likely leading to the initiation of new star formation processes.

To study Stephan's Quintet, researchers employed the powerful William Herschel Telescope located in the Canary Islands. The telescope's spectrograph, known as WEAVE, tracked the remnants of past collisions, the birth of new stars, and traces of ionized gas left by the force of the impact. All of this was influenced by the powerful shockwave generated as the galaxy NGC 7318b entered the system at hypersonic speeds.

Scientists believe that the new data will enhance our understanding of the turbulent and chaotic interactions between galaxies. This information may also provide valuable insights into how collisions in the early universe helped form the galaxies we observe today.

As for the future fate of galaxy NGC 7318b, astronomers speculate that it is likely to merge with one of the members of Stephan's Quintet in the coming tens of thousands of years, given its immense merging speed with the system.