Interacting galaxies come in all shapes and sizes. This pair, known as Arp 237 or UGC-1810 and UGC-1813 bear a striking resemblance to a flower – a rose as stated on the Hubble siteis even more precise.
The blue “icing”at the top of the image are hot blue stars that have formed in the wake of the collision. You can also see a region of new star formation in the center of the smaller galaxy, also most likely due to the collision.
But, there are jewels strewn all about in this image: A small blue galaxy to the left of the larger UGC-1810 and a red spiral galaxy visible between its arms to the lower right.
This clip will show you where the galaxies are and zoom in to them. But, if you can, download the largest image possible, zoom in and explore this beautiful image.
It is also noteworthy that this image commemorates Hubble’s 21st anniversary of operation in space. It’s hard to imagine that is has been that long!
A note about housekeeping on the site. I’ve categorized the blog posts so it will be easier if you are looking for a particular post to search by category. The categories used are listed at the bottom of the post and you can click on them to sort the blog. They are also listed on the right side of the web page.
- Astronomy
- Cosmology
- Galaxy
- Humans in Space
- Orbital Maneuvers
- Solar System
Hopefully this will be of use to you in the future.
Till next time,
RC Davison