Title
A rare and spectacular head-on collision
Caption
A rare and spectacular head-on collision between two galaxies appears in this Hubble telescope picture of the Cartwheel Galaxy / located 500 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor. The striking ring-like feature is a direct result of a smaller intruder galaxy — possibly one of two objects to the right of the ring — that careened through the core [close-up image at lower left] of the host galaxy. Like a rock tossed into a lake / the collision sent a ripple of energy into space / plowing gas and dust in front of it.
Date
20th century
Credit line
Photo12/Ann Ronan Picture Library/NASA
Reference
ARP11A02_370
License type
Rights managed
Available size
51,6Mb (1,4Mb) / 15,7in x 12,8in / 4700 x 3835 (300dpi)