In the center of the image below is the elliptical galaxy NGC 5291. It is located 200 million light years from us.
360 million years ago, when the Carboniferous period had just begun on Earth, another galaxy crashed into its core. Giant jets of gas ejected during this collision later formed a ring structure around NGC 5291.
Over time, the substance of this ring condensed into dozens of star-forming regions, as well as into several dwarf galaxies. In the image, they are visible as pale blue and white spots scattered around NGC 5291. The most massive and brightest cluster of matter to the right of NGC 5291 is one of these dwarf galaxies, NGC 5291N.
Interestingly, there are practically no old stars in NGC 5291N. Observations show that in the outer parts of this galaxy there are signs characteristic of the formation of new stars. However, on the whole, the observation results do not fit into any of the existing theoretical models. Astronomers suspect that the unusual data may indicate large collisions of gas in the area.