Dancing with the Galaxies

Recently, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) caught a pair of galaxies “dancing” with one another. Of course, they weren’t really getting their groove on, but instead, they were interacting with each other. The pair of galaxies are known as NGC 7753 and its smaller friend NGC 7752, located 220 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The pair of galaxies is called Arp 86. 

Arp 86

Researchers are predicting that as a result of the interaction in Arp 86, NGC 7752 will either be tossed into intergalactic space or will be engulfed by the much larger NGC 7753. HST was studying how cold gas in areas could contribute to the formation of young stars when it discovered Arp 86. HST observed star clusters, gas clouds, and dust clouds near Arp 86.

HST’s work was combined with measurements from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to find more information on how stars are formed. Additionally, HST’s predecessor, the James Webb Space Telescope will be launched later this year to explore the origins of the universe, but will also observe Arp 86. Even though JWST is going to eventually replace the HST, the two space telescopes will work together for some time.

James Webb Space Telescope

Sources:

Howell, Elizabeth. “Hubble Telescope Spots a Pair of 'Squabbling' Galaxies Locked in Cosmic Dance.” Space.com, Space, 24 Oct. 2021, https://www.space.com/hubble-telescope-squabbling-galaxies-photo. 

“James Webb Space Telescope.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope.