NASA released a stunning photo showing two galaxies colliding - Business Insider

The two galaxies that form NGC 6052 are now so close that the boundaries are no longer clear.ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Adamo et al.

• Originally discovered in 1784, NGC 6052 was first thought to be one galaxy with an unusual shape.
• Scientists eventually discovered that it was, in fact, two galaxies in the process of colliding.
• Having previously been observed by the Hubble telescope in 2015, NASA recently released a stunning image of the galaxies in even closer detail.

First discovered in 1784 by William Herschel, NGC 6052 was originally thought to be a singular galaxy that simply had an odd shape.

However, scientists eventually figured out that the "oddly shaped galaxy" 230 million light-years away was, in fact, two galaxies in the process of colliding.

Having previously been observed by the Hubble telescope with an older camera in 2015, NASA recently released a stunning image of the galaxies in even better detail.

This object was previously observed by Hubble with its old Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) in 2015.ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

The two galaxies that form NGC 6052 are now so close that the boundaries are no longer clear and the original galaxies are losing their shape at a quickening pace.

Read more: Astronomers have discovered hundreds of thousands of new galaxies in a tiny section of the universe

"Eventually, this new galaxy will settle down into a stable shape, which may not resemble either of the two original galaxies," explained the European Space Agency. A complete fusion would throw the stars out of their original orbits and take new places.

According to NASA, as well as the union of the two galaxies being beautiful and fascinating, it's also very rare due to the fact that galaxies are mostly comprised of empty space.

In about four billion years the Milky Way and Andromeda are to collide and join to form one single galaxy. For now, however, the scientists are still researching NGC 6052.

Den Originalartikel gibt es auf Business Insider Deutschland. This post originally appeared on Business Insider Deutschland and has been translated from German. Copyright 2019. Und ihr könnt Business Insider Deutschland auf Twitter folgen.

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