NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured the moment when three galaxies collide with each other. The moment even creates a stunning image.
Reported by LiveScience (19/2), this cosmic collision is known as the merger of three galaxies. This occurs when three galaxies slowly attract each other until they finally come close, then they tear each other apart due to each galaxy's gravitational pull.
Merging like this is common throughout the universe, and all major galaxies. Including the galaxy inhabited by humans on Earth, the Milky Way. These galaxies were formed as a result of violent mergers like this one that took place billions of years ago.
At first glance, the meeting of the three galaxies looks chaotic and seems to be scattering one another. However, this event actually became the beginning of the formation of new galaxies.
It occurs as a result of gas from three colliding galaxies. The gas then condenses and forms a vast ocean of matter. This material is the origin of the formation of new stars which then gather to form the center of new galaxies.
Several stars also survived the collision. In fact they are still intact without any injuries at all. That's because the gravitational force is different from each galaxy. So they don't collide with each other.
Meanwhile, NASA said that the galaxy cluster captured by the Hubble lens is called IC 2431 which is located about 681 million light years from Earth in the constellation Cancer. NASA astronomers were able to detect the collision thanks to the help of a space lover group called the Galaxy Zoo, which is holding an event.
The event, which invited more than 100,000 volunteers, classified images of 900,000 galaxies captured by the Hubble telescope that were never thoroughly examined.
NASA also appreciates this activity because they have succeeded in identifying extraordinary phenomena that NASA has not found for years. Not only that, the event also produced a number of strange and interesting discoveries.
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