Astronomy Picture of the Day -- The Antennae Galaxies in Collision

NASA ^ | March 16, 2014 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: Two galaxies are squaring off in Corvus and here are the latest pictures. When two galaxies collide, the stars that compose them usually do not. That's because galaxies are mostly empty space and, however bright, stars only take up only a small amount of that space. During the slow, hundred million year collision, one galaxy can still rip the other apart gravitationally, and dust and gas common to both galaxies does collide. In this clash of the titans, dark dust pillars mark massive molecular clouds are being compressed during the galactic encounter, causing the rapid birth of millions of stars, some of which are gravitationally bound together in massive star clusters.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit:; Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA Processing & Credit: Davide Coverta]

[left that other site]

Gorgeous!

Thank You, Sunken Civ!

[SunkenCiv]

The Big One

join or quit list APoD 'blog post new APoD topic Astronomy Picture of the Day topic & keyword Astronomy Chat, Bloggers & keyword Science Chat, Bloggers & keyword NASA's APoD archive Calendar 1995-present APoD on your desktop

[Dr. Thorne]

Whoa! Smackdown on a galactic scale!

[henkster]

This appears to be post-collision and the two galaxies are going their separate ways. You can still see the galactic centers of both galaxies. The galaxy in the top of the photo looks like it’s kept a good part of its structure, but the one in the bottom has been ripped apart.