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Credit & Copyright:
Leonardo Orazi
Explanation:
On the right, surrounded by blue spiral arms, is spiral galaxy
M81.
On the left, marked by red gas and dust clouds, is irregular galaxy
M82.
This stunning vista shows these
two mammoth galaxies locked in
gravitational combat, as they have been for the past billion
years.
The gravity from each galaxy
dramatically affects the
other during each hundred million-year pass.
Last go-round, M82's gravity likely raised
density waves rippling around
M81,
resulting in the richness of
M81's
spiral arms.
But M81 left
M82 with
violent star forming regions and
colliding gas clouds so energetic the galaxy
glows
in X-rays.
In a few billion years only one galaxy
will remain.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: colliding galaxies
Publications with words: colliding galaxies
See also:
- APOD: 2024 July 30 Á Arp 142: Interacting Galaxies from Webb
- APOD: 2023 September 25 Á Arp 142: The Hummingbird Galaxy
- APOD: 2023 January 23 Á The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 274
- Galaxy Wars: M81 and M82
- NGC 1316: After Galaxies Collide
- NGC 4676: When Mice Collide
- NGC 520: Colliding Galaxies from Hubble