Galaxies in Collision

Spectacular NASA images of interacting galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope.

Astronomy textbooks typically present galaxies as staid, solitary, and majestic worlds of glittering stars. But galaxies have a dynamical side. They have close encounters that sometimes end in grand mergers and overflowing sites of new star birth as the colliding galaxies morph into wondrous new shapes. NASA released these images to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope launch.

AM 0500-620 consists of a highly symmetric spiral galaxy seen nearly face-on and partially backlit by a background galaxy. The foreground spiral galaxy has a number of dust lanes between its arms. The background galaxy was earlier classified as an elliptical galaxy, but Hubble has now revealed a galaxy with dusty spiral arms and bright knots of stars. AM0500-620 is 350 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Dorado, the Swordfish. Image and caption by NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and W. Keel (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa).