Giant spiral galaxy NGC 1365 merging with another galaxy (IMAGE)

Smithsonian

Giant spiral galaxy NGC 1365 merging with another galaxy

Caption

An artist’s impression shows the giant spiral galaxy NGC 1365 as it collides and merges with a smaller companion galaxy, stirring up star formation and redistributing gas and heavy elements. Using a new “space archaeology” technique that reads the chemical fingerprints in the galaxy’s gas, astronomers have reconstructed how NGC 1365 grew over 12 billion years

Credit

Melissa Weiss/CfA

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