August 25, 2013 - Astronomy Picture of the Day
Spiral galaxies
NGC 5426 and NGC 5427 are passing dangerously close to each other,
but each is likely to survive this collision.
Typically when
galaxies collide,
a large galaxy eats a much smaller galaxy.
In this case, however, the two galaxies are quite similar, each being a
sprawling spiral
with expansive arms and a compact core.
As the galaxies advance over the next tens of millions of years, their
component stars are unlikely to collide, although new stars will form in
the bunching of gas caused by
gravitational tides.
Close inspection of the
above image taken by the 8-meter
Gemini-South Telescope in
Chile shows a
bridgeof material momentarily connecting the two giants.