For the first time ever, NASA’s iconic Hubble telescope captures two galaxies merging nearly 230 million light-years away from the Earth, in the constellation of Hercules. The stunning image of major galaxy NGC 6052 was taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 aboard NASA/ ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
Seeing the image for the first time, scientists thought it to be an abnormal shaped galaxy, however, further analysis revealed that they are witnessing live merging of two galaxies — a process which will give birth to a new child galaxy.
While explaining, NASA scientists said that earlier they were two separate galaxies; however, due to gravitational pull they attracted each other and eventually collided with each other. “Two separate galaxies have been gradually drawn together, attracted by gravity, and have collided. We now see them merging into a single structure,” the statement read.
It is a process of millions of years until both the galaxies become stable and give birth to a new galaxy. Also, the newly formed galaxy will not resemble any of the two parent galaxies; it will have its own striking, size shape features.
“It would be reasonable to think of this as a single abnormal galaxy, and it was originally classified as such. However, it is in fact a ‘new’ galaxy in the process of forming,” the space agency said in a statement. “Eventually, this new galaxy will settle down into a stable shape, which may not resemble either of the two original galaxies,” the statement read.
As the merging process continues, individual stars are thrown out of their original orbits and placed onto entirely new paths, some very distant from the region of the collision itself. Since the stars produce the light we see, the “galaxy” now appears to have a highly chaotic shape.