Galactic Merger! This image shows a peculiar galaxy known as NGC 1487, lying about 30 million light-years away. Rather than viewing it as a celestial object, it is actually better to think of this as an event. Here, we are witnessing two or more galaxies in the act of merging together to form a single new galaxy. Each galaxy has lost almost all traces of its original appearance, as stars and gas have been thrown by gravity in an elaborate cosmic whirl.
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
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