Galactic Collision Unleashes Powerful Shockwaves Across the Cosmos

The WEAVE spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope has provided new insights into the dual nature of shock waves in Stephan's Quintet, a group of five galaxies. Led by Dr. Marina Arnaudova, the study reveals that the shock, caused by a high-speed collision of galaxy NGC 7318b, behaves differently in cold and hot gas regions. In cold gas, the shock travels at hypersonic speeds, ionizing the gas, while in hot gas, it weakens and compresses, emitting radio waves. This research highlights WEAVE's potential to enhance our understanding of galactic interactions.