The spacecraft recently captured an incredible image of two galaxies merging. The colorful images shows galaxy NGC 6052, which is located 230 million light-years away, according to a statement from the European Space Agency.(Photo: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt)
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is starting the New Year off with a bang.
The spacecraft recently captured an incredible image of two galaxies merging to form a new galaxy. The colorful image shows galaxy NGC 6052, which is located 230 million light-years away,
according to a statement from the European Space Agency (ESA).<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
Over time, two separate galaxies were drawn together by gravity, and eventually “collided,” according to the statement. <span style="color: Red;">*</span>The image shows them “merging into a single structure.”
If the shape of the galaxy looks “chaotic,” that’s because it is, according to the agency. As the galaxies merge, stars within the galaxies are knocked off their original orbits and sent on new paths.
“Eventually, this new galaxy will settle down into a stable shape, which may not resemble either of the two original galaxies,” according to the ESA.
Gallery: 25 years of Hubble<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
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