An astronomer from Youngstown State University is playing a part in learning about the creation of new stars in our universe, and just how old those stars are.

Patrick Durrell, professor of Astronomy at Youngstown State University, with the other researchers used the advanced imaging capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope to study young clusters of stars that formed in the aftermath of galaxy mergers or collisions.

The telescope focused on star clusters that formed within long tidal, tadpole-like ‘tails’ that form when galaxies interact, collide and, in some cases, merge. Large clusters of stars can form when the gas in the tidal streamers collide.

"These galaxy mergers or collisions happen more often than people might think," said Durrell.

Hubble's sharpness and sensitivity to ultraviolet light have uncovered 425 clusters of newborn stars along these tails, looking like strings of holiday lights. Each cluster contains as many as 1 million blue, newborn stars.

The research found that these clusters are only 10 million years old, relatively very young in terms of the age of our universe.  The clusters seem to be forming at the same rate along tails stretching for thousands of light-years.

The recently published study featured analyses of 12 tidal tails in seven different interacting galaxies and one system, AM1054-325, is featured in a new color image release from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.

“The addition of new images taken through ultraviolet filters really helped with the detection and age determination of the star clusters that formed in the wake of the galaxy collisions,” said Durrell.

Durrell has worked with this team for over 15 years collaborating on various projects. He contributed to this project from the start, responsible for overseeing the technical planning of the Hubble Space Telescope observations.