Hubble Telescope Discovers 'String of Pearls' Star Clusters in Galactic Collisions

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified 425 clusters of newborn stars in the tidal tails of merging galaxies, offering new insights into star formation.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled 425 clusters of newborn stars in the tidal tails of 12 interacting galaxies.
Each cluster contains as many as 1 million blue, newborn stars, formed from gas and dust pulled out during galactic collisions.
The discovery sheds light on the efficiency of star cluster formation in the debris of galaxy mergers, previously less understood.
These 'string of pearls' star clusters, only 10 million years old, could evolve into globular star clusters or disperse to form a halo around their host galaxy.
The findings provide a glimpse into the early universe, suggesting such star formation may have been more common when galaxy collisions were more frequent.