Optical Illusion Makes Galaxies Appear As 'Overlapping' In New Hubble Photo

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured to distant spiral galaxies that appear to be "overlapping." The galaxies are called SDSS J115331 and LEDA 2073461 and are located over a billion light-years from Earth. Hubble's data suggests that the two galaxies are currently merging... but that's far from the truth.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the picture shows an optical illusion, and the galaxies aren't truly interacting with each other.

ESA

"Despite appearing to collide in this image, the alignment of the two galaxies is likely just by chance ¡ª the two are not actually interacting," ESA officials wrote in the statement. "While these two galaxies might simply be ships that pass in the night, Hubble has captured a dazzling array of interacting galaxies in the past."

A rare display of cosmic beauty

The image was shared by ESA on September 5, and was created using findings from ESA's Galaxy Zoo project. The citizen initiative began in 2007 and crowdsources galaxy classifications to "hundreds of thousands of participants," Space.com reported.

NASA

Also read: Galaxy With A Strange Shape And Red Star Blossoms Captured By Hubble Telescope

"These volunteers classify galaxies imaged by robotic telescopes and are often the first to ever set eyes on an astronomical object," ESA wrote in the statement.

So far, Galaxy Zoo volunteers have managed to discover a range of cosmic objects, including spiral galaxies and ring galaxies. Targets that are chosen for further study by Hubble are selected by a public vote, the statement adds.

NASA

Also read: Hubble Spots Breathtaking Celestial Cloudscape In Orion Nebula

What do you think about this stunning space phenomenon? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Mathewson, S. (2022, September 14). Hubble Space Telescope captures two ¡°overlapping¡± spiral galaxies in new photo. Space.com. https://www.space.com/hubble-space-telescope-overlapping-galaxies-photo