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From galaxy collisions to star birth: Missing link found Data from ISO, the infrared observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA), have provided the first direct evidence that shock waves generated by galaxy collisions excite the gas from which new stars will form. The result also provides important clues on how the birth of the first stars was triggered and speeded up in the early Universe. By observing our galaxy and others, scientists have long concluded that the explosion of massive stars like supernovae generates shock waves and ‘winds` that travel through and excite the surrounding gas clouds. This process triggers the collapse of nearby gas that eventually leads to the birth of new stars, like a domino effect.
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