Explanation:
What will become of these galaxies?
Spiral galaxies
NGC 5426 and NGC 5427 are passing dangerously close to each other,
but each is likely to survive this collision.
Most frequently when
galaxies collide,
a large galaxy eats a much smaller galaxy.
In this case, however, the two galaxies are quite similar, each being a
sprawling spiral with expansive arms and a compact core.
As the galaxies advance over the next tens of millions of years, their component stars are unlikely to collide, although new stars will form in the bunching of gas caused by
gravitational tides.
Close inspection of the
above image taken by the 8-meter
Gemini-South Telescope in
Chile shows a
bridge of material momentarily connecting the two giants.
Known collectively as
Arp 271,
the interacting pair spans about 130,000
light years and lies about 90 million light-years away toward the
constellation of
Virgo.
Quite possibly, our
Milky Way Galaxy will undergo a
similar collision with the neighboring
Andromeda Galaxy in about five billion years.
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