Two merging spiral galaxies are caught twisting each other into cosmic knots in a spectacular photo by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The colliding galaxies comprise a system known as Arp 256, which lies about 350 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation Cetus (the Whale).
"The galaxies are ablaze with dazzling regions of star formation: The bright blue fireworks are stellar nurseries, churning out hot infant stars," officials with the European Space Agency (ESA) wrote in a description of the image Thursday (March 8). (The Hubble project is a collaboration between NASA and ESA.)
"These vigorous bursts of new life are triggered by the massive gravitational interactions, which stir up interstellar gas and dust out of which stars are born," the ESA added.
Source: space
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