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The Lord of the Rings: The Subaru Telescope has captured an unusual galaxy.

Astronomers utilizing the Japanese optical telescope "Subaru" have released a new image of a rare ring galaxy located 800 million light-years away from Earth. While ring galaxies typically feature one or two rings, this particular galaxy boasts an impressive three rings.
Властелин колец: телескоп «Субару» зафиксировал уникальную галактику.
Галактика с тремя кольцами / © NAOJ

Ring galaxies feature a dense core encircled by an extensive ring of bright young stars, which are separated from the center by a certain distance. Visually, these galaxies resemble planetary nebulae.

It is still unclear how ring galaxies form: according to the most widely accepted hypothesis, they result from interactions and mergers with neighboring galaxies.