Hubble image archive
Simulated Images of Merging Galaxies
These illustrations demonstrate how two galaxies coalesce in a slow dance that lasts about a billion years.The graphics are taken from a simulation astronomers created to determine how long it takes for galaxies to complete a merger. By understanding the time it takes for two mer...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2011
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2011-30-2906-image
These illustrations demonstrate how two galaxies coalesce in a slow dance that lasts about a billion years.
The graphics are taken from a simulation astronomers created to determine how long it takes for galaxies to complete a merger. By understanding the time it takes for two merging systems to become one normal-looking galaxy, astronomers can calculate how many galaxy encounters happen over time. This information yields important clues about how galaxies have changed throughout the universe's history.
Credits
P. Jonsson (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), G. Novak (Princeton University), and T.J. Cox (Carnegie Observatories, Pasadena, Calif.)
Downloads
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov