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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Arp 142: Interacting Galaxies from Webb
Explanation: To some, it looks like a penguin. But to people who study the universe, it is an interesting example of two big galaxies interacting. Just a few hundred million years ago, the upper NGC 2936 was likely a normal spiral galaxy : spinning, creating stars, and minding its own business. Then it got too close to the massive elliptical galaxy NGC 2937, below, and took a dive. Together known as Arp 142 , they are featured in this new Webb infrared image, while a visible light Hubble image appears in comparison. NGC 2936 is not only being deflected, but distorted , by this close gravitational interaction. When massive galaxies pass near each other, gas is typically condensed from which new stars form . A young group of stars appears as the nose of the penguin toward the right of the upper galaxy, while in the center of the spiral , bright stars together appear as an eye. Before a billion years, the two galaxies will likely merge into one larger galaxy.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
| Date | July 30, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CSA , STScI ; Hubble Rollover Reprocessing & Copyright: Raul Villaverde |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |