NASA has released a series of fifty-nine separate spectacular images of colliding galaxies taken by the Hubble space telescope to coincide with the eighteenth anniversary of the launch of the telescope.
A selection of Hubble images released showing colliding galaxies. Credit: NASA
The images constitute the largest single release of Hubble pictures to the public and illustrates how galaxy collisions produce a remarkable variety of intricate structures in never-before-seen detail.
They show a variety of patterns made by massive star and dust clouds twisting through the sky in processes which can take billions of years to complete.
The images clearly indicate the effect of the extreme gravitational forces which pull the galaxies as they drift near to each other, giving rise to their strange and bizarre shapes.
According to a NASA statement: "Astronomers observe only one out of a million galaxies in the nearby universe in the act of colliding. However, galaxy mergers were much more common long ago when they were closer together, because the expanding universe was smaller".
"Astronomers study how gravity choreographs their motions in the game of celestial bumper cars and try to observe them in action," it said.
The Hubble telescope, which has revolutionised the capturing of space images because its position outside the Earth's atmosphere allows it to take extremely sharp pictures with virtually no background light, is a joint project by NASA and the European Space Agency.
Managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Md., the telescope has helped astronomers judge such vital astrophysical questions such as the rate of expansion of the universe.
The Hubble is slated to continue operations until 2013 when it will be replaced by the more powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
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popjago@gmail.comApr 25th, 2008 - 00:18:45
What a fantastic sight It makes us feel so small.
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popjago@gmail.comApr 25th, 2008 - 00:18:45
What a fantastic sight It makes us feel so small.
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