Galaxy merger caught by Hubble telescope

A spiral galaxy gets twisted out of shape after coming too close to a cosmic neighbor in a gorgeous photo captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

The spiral galaxy, known as NGC 7714, lies about 100 million light-years from Earth. Between 100 million and 200 million years ago, NGC 7714 drifted too close to a smaller, neighboring galaxy called NGC 7715. The resulting galaxy merger has been violent and dramatic, changing the structure and shape of both NGC 7714 and NGC 7715, researchers said. Scientists used the Hubble observations to create a stunning video tour of the galaxy merger.

"Tell-tale signs of this brutality can be seen in NGC 7714's strangely shaped arms, and in the smoky golden haze that stretches out from the galactic center," European Space Agency (ESA) officials wrote in a description of the new image. (Hubble is a collaborative mission involving NASA and ESA.) Read more...

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