Extreme Hubble photo shows a galaxy ripping solar systems from another galaxy
Whoa.
The legendary Hubble Space Telescope, operated by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), captured a dazzling snapshot of a large galaxy (NGC 169) pulling cosmic material away from a smaller galaxy (IC 1559).
"As common as these interactions are thought to be in the Universe, it is rare to capture an image of two galaxies interacting in such a visibly dynamic way," explained the ESA.
You May Also Like
The larger galaxy, with more mass, tugs on the smaller galaxy. In such interactions, "gas, dust, and even entire solar systems will be drawn away from one galaxy towards the other," the space agency said.
Thanks to Hubble, we can glimpse the event happening from over two hundred million light-years away. "This process can actually be seen in action in this image — delicate streams of matter have formed, visibly linking the two galaxies," noted the ESA.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
In the future, our own Milky Way galaxy will have an intense galactic interaction, too. Some 4 billion years from now, the Milky Way will inevitably collide with the larger Andromeda galaxy. NASA expects a great merger, resulting in a single, great galaxy.
Mark was the science editor at Mashable. After working as a ranger with the National Park Service, he started a reporting career after seeing the extraordinary value in educating people about the happenings on Earth, and beyond.
He's descended 2,500 feet into the ocean depths in search of the sixgill shark, ventured into the halls of top R&D laboratories, and interviewed some of the most fascinating scientists in the world.
