NASA / ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope observes three merging galaxies that are on a collision course with each other and will eventually merge into a single mega galaxy. As they draw closer, their spiral structure will be distorted through mutual gravitational interaction. A completely unrelated galaxy in the foreground appears to be floating near this scene, while the small shapes of far more distant galaxies are also visible in the background.
Astronomers have classified these merging galaxies as SDSSCGB 10189, and this relatively rare trio of large star-forming galaxies are all located within 50,000 light-years of one another. This might sound like a great distance, but in astronomical terms, this makes them far too close for comfort. For example, Milky Way’s galactic neighbors are much further away such as Andromeda, which lies more than 2.5 million light-years from Earth.
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These galactic behemoths are called Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) and – as the name suggests – are defined as the brightest galaxies in any given galaxy cluster. Astronomers suspect that BCGs form through the merger of large, gas-rich galaxies like the ones seen here,” said NASA.
