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Hubble Finds Early Galaxy Collision

An illustration of two galaxies in the midst of a collision against a dark, star-filled background. The collision takes up the middle third of the illustration. On the right, a larger galaxy is viewed at an angle from 11 o’clock to 4 o’clock, with a white-yellow core surrounded by mottled brown dust lanes and faint bluish spiral arms. To the left, a smaller, bright blue-white galaxy is stretched into a curved, hook-like shape as gravity distorts it. A broad, glowing bridge of pale blue gas and stars extends off the galaxy at the left, while wispy streams extend above and below the larger galaxy at the right. The words “Artist’s Concept” appear in the lower left corner.
An illustration of two galaxies in the midst of a collision against a dark, star-filled background. The collision takes up the middle third of the illustration. On the right, a larger galaxy is viewed at an angle from 11 o’clock to 4 o’clock, with a white-yellow core surrounded by mottled brown dust lanes and faint bluish spiral arms. To the left, a smaller, bright blue-white galaxy is stretched into a curved, hook-like shape as gravity distorts it. A broad, glowing bridge of pale blue gas and stars extends off the galaxy at the left, while wispy streams extend above and below the larger galaxy at the right. The words “Artist’s Concept” appear in the lower left corner.

Our galaxy is the Milky Way. It grew bigger by eating smaller galaxies. Hubble data shows an early galaxy collision. This event happened 11.8 billion years ago.

The Milky Way has billions of stars. Smaller galaxies joined our galaxy long ago. Scientists used space telescopes to study old stars. Old stars help scientists learn about space history.

Scientists studied a star cluster named NGC 6388. This star cluster came from another dwarf galaxy. The dwarf galaxy collided with the Milky Way. This discovery helps us understand the early universe.

Would you like to travel into space to see other galaxies?

Adapted from NASA Universe.

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