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APOD: 2023 January 23 Á The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 274
Explanation:
Two galaxies are squaring off in Virgo and here are the latest pictures.
When two
galaxies collide,
the stars that compose them usually do not.
This is because galaxies
are mostly empty space and, however bright,
stars only take up only a small fraction of that space.
But during the
collision, one galaxy can rip the other apart gravitationally,
and dust and gas common to both
galaxies does
collide.
If the two galaxies merge, black holes that likely resided in each galaxy center
may eventually merge.
Because the distances are so large, the
whole thing takes place in
slow motion -- over hundreds of millions of years.
Besides the two
large spiral galaxies,
a smaller third galaxy is visible on the far left of the
featured image of
Arp 274, also known as NGC 5679.
Arp 274 spans about 200,000
light years across and lies about 400 million light years away toward the
constellation of Virgo.
| << Yesterday | 23.01.2023 | Tomorrow >> |
Night Sky Network webinar:
APOD editor to review best space images of 2022
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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: