                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2024 March 17
     A blue spiral galaxy appears to be colliding -- and possibly moving
    through -- a dusty brown galaxy. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                 NGC 7714: Starburst after Galaxy Collision
               Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive;
                      Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl

   Explanation: Is this galaxy jumping through a giant ring of stars?
   Probably not. Although the precise dynamics behind the featured image
   is yet unclear, what is clear is that the pictured galaxy, NGC 7714,
   has been stretched and distorted by a recent collision with a
   neighboring galaxy. This smaller neighbor, NGC 7715, situated off to
   the left of the frame, is thought to have charged right through NGC
   7714. Observations indicate that the golden ring pictured is composed
   of millions of older Sun-like stars that are likely co-moving with the
   interior bluer stars. In contrast, the bright center of NGC 7714
   appears to be undergoing a burst of new star formation. The featured
   image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. NGC 7714 is located
   about 130 million light years away toward the constellation of the Two
   Fish (Pisces). The interactions between these galaxies likely started
   about 150 million years ago and should continue for several hundred
   million years more, after which a single central galaxy may result.

                     Tomorrow's picture: spiraling comet
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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