New galaxy discovered in Leo constellation

Astronomers from the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany and the Jagiellonian University in Poland have discovered a new galaxy in the constellation Leo, it was announced Tuesday.

The new galaxy, near the Milky Way, has emerged from the merger of two other galaxies, which makes it the closest recycled galaxy the researchers have observed so far. A report on the new discovery was published in the Astrophysical Journal.

With his Polish colleagues, Dominik Bomans from the Astronomical Institute at Ruhr examined a candidate for a dwarf galaxy in a nearby group of galaxies, the Leo Triplet in the constellation Leo.

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.

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.

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.