Monday, July 16, 2012

When Galaxies Collide: Antennae Galaxies

One of the most spectacular galactic mergers is known as the Antennae galaxies.

Located about 62 million light-years away in the constellation Corvus, the object contains a jewelry case of stars that shine in the visible, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths in this image.

The colliding galaxies have nearly engulfed one another since they first began to unite around 100 million years ago, triggering an intense period of star formation.

Image: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J.DePasquale; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical: NASA/STScI

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