Discovering rare galaxies: talk about the universe

During Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil’s TED talk on the universe, the audience will learn about the discovery of an extremely rare galaxy that challenges established theories and strong assumptions. The speaker – an astrophysicist and a TED Fellow, shares with the audience the Burçin’s Galaxy – a completely new type of formation. The short lecture reveals substantial and concise information about what this discovery means in the field of astrophysics.

There are trillions of galaxies in the universe. A typical one has a spiral formation and scientists have developed strong theories about its evolution. Less common types are called Hoag’s Objects. Extremely rare tokens, these galaxies are less than one in 1,000. They manifest with a symmetrical central body surrounded by a circular outer ring and no connecting piece between them.

Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil’s talk about the universe speaks of a galaxy that is even rarer. Located about 359 million light-years away (a distance not that far from Earth), the Burçin Nebula was found to have the composition of a Hoag’s Object with an additional diffuse inner ring. With no known mechanism or theory that can even explain this existence, this extraordinary entity challenges humanity’s knowledge of galaxy evolution and the vast knowledge gap.