Hubble Image of the Day – Colliding Galaxies Nicknamed “The Mice”

Hubble Image of Colliding Galaxies Nicknamed The Mice

“The Mice,” also known as NGC 4676, are colliding galaxies located 300 million light-years away in the Coma Berenices constellation. They exhibit long tails of stars and gas and will eventually merge into a single giant galaxy. Credit: NASA, Holland Ford (JHU), the ACS Science Team and ESA

First released in 2002, this Hubble image of two colliding galaxies nicknamed “The Mice” has remained a fan favorite.

Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), the newest camera on NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, has captured a spectacular pair of galaxies engaged in a celestial dance of cat and mouse or, in this case, mouse and mouse.

Located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices, the colliding galaxies have been nicknamed “The Mice” because of the long tails of stars and gas emanating from each galaxy. Otherwise known as NGC 4676, the pair will eventually merge into a single giant galaxy.

 

2 Comments on "Hubble Image of the Day – Colliding Galaxies Nicknamed “The Mice”"

  1. Madanagopal.V.C. | May 31, 2014 at 10:04 am | Reply

    It could be the attempt of one galaxy trying to cannibalize the other, which is but most common in cosmos. Thank you.

  2. Are black holes behaviour similar to hurricanes with a calm eye the black home but destructive at the horizon.
    Nature physics seams to have behavioral similitudes.
    Is it possible that in any point in time any where we feel to be always in the middles of the universe and never on the edge?

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