Two Far-Off Galaxies Are Merging In Amazing New Pic From Hubble Telescope
The Hubble telescope just won't let up! While its critics are quick to dismiss Hubble in light of the new and far superior James Webb Telescope, the Hubble changed our understanding of the universe and still continues to provide spectacular views of space.
Merging galaxies captured by Hubble
Now, the ageing Hubble has captured a rare phenomenon in space. In the new image, we can see three galaxies situated 425 million light-years away from Earth. What's astonishing is not that there are three galaxies in this image, but the fact that two of those seem to be merging.
Let's add some perspective into the mix: A galaxy is wide and spread across thousands of light years. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way is spread across 52,850 light years. Far from space, it might appear like a speck of dust - just the galaxies caught mingling by Hubble.
Also read:?Farthest Signs Of Water Detected In Galaxy 12.8 Billion Light Years Away
The group of three galaxies is called NGC 7764A by astronomers and was captured by Hubble using its Advanced Camera for Surveys with help from Wide Field Camera 3.
While most alarmists on the internet would have you believe that galaxies just slam into each other (to be fair, Milky Way and Andromeda will have a violent interaction). That's not always the case. As the image shows, the two galaxies are slowly but surely merging. The third galaxy doesn't appear to be interacting with the two as of now. But it might get pulled in later.
Also read:?Mysterious Signals From Milky Way Galaxy's Centre Are Confusing Scientists
Launched in April 1990, Hubble has been orbiting low Earth orbit since then and offering us glimpses of the universe's magical properties.
When galaxies interact, they're essentially reorganised - building new stars and killing old ones based on the gases involved. Think of it a cosmic nursey that will pave way for a future galaxy with numerous solar systems like ours.
Did you know galaxies interact with each other? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.?
