Two galaxies merge, a larger one at the top of the image and a smaller one below it. Both galaxies glow with a yellowish center, have rings of pink and bluish-white stars around them, and are connected by a large cloud of dust, brown, red, and pink.

C60 and C61: The Antennae Galaxies

This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the Antennae galaxies is the sharpest yet of this merging pair of galaxies. During the course of the collision, billions of stars will be formed. The brightest and most compact of these star birth regions are called super star clusters. The new image allows astronomers to better distinguish between the stars and super star clusters created in the collision of two spiral galaxies.

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Download Share

Tags

Image CreditESA/Hubble & NASA
Size640x636px