The Hubble Space Telescope that’s operated by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) has been spotting unforgettable images of the Universe for over three decades since it was sent into space. But when it comes to the wonders of the Cosmos, there are always new insights to explore.
The designation ” IC 2431” might not tell you anything, but for astronomers, it just became something worthy of all the attention. It’s the name of a galaxy merger located very far away from us in the constellation known as Cancer: roughly 681 million light-years away.
Three galaxies colliding
According to Microsoft Start, the new image spotted by Hubble showcases three galaxies as they collide with one another. We suspect that it may be another proof that the fight for survival is more predominant in nature than anybody believed.
Behold Hubble’s picture:
A tumultuous trifecta ✨
A triple galaxy merger known as IC 2431 resides 681 million light-years away in the constellation Cancer.
This #HubbleFriday image also shows star formation and tidal distortions caused by gravitational interactions in this trio: https://t.co/8a77GIRmBb pic.twitter.com/TFmFBmtsrO
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) February 18, 2022
Here’s what one of the astronomers in charge of the Hubble Telescope has to say, according to Sci-News.com:
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured what appears to be a triple galaxy merger in progress, as well as a tumultuous mixture of star formation and tidal distortions caused by the gravitational interactions of this galactic trio,
The center of the image is obscured by a thick cloud of dust — though light from a background galaxy can be seen piercing its outer extremities.
That said, we’re eager to find out about new discoveries that Hubble will be making in the near future, as it’s certainly not done with them at all!
Our own Milky Way galaxy will also collide with Andromeda, meaning the neighbor galaxy, in a few billions of years. Luckily enough, we have a lot of time left to achieve all of our goals or fail them all until that major event. However, there are some chances that the collision itself won’t affect planet Earth, as well as other planets from the two galaxies.
