Arp 142: Interacting Galaxies from Webb

Arp 142: Interacting Galaxies from Webb

Image Credit:
NASA,
ESA,
CSA,
STScI;
Hubble Rollover Reprocessing & Copyright:
Raul Villaverde

Explanation:
To some, it looks like a penguin.

But to people who study the universe, it is an interesting example of two big galaxies interacting.

Just a few hundred million years ago, the upper NGC 2936 was likely a
normal spiral galaxy:
spinning, creating stars, and minding its own business.

Then it got too close to the massive
elliptical galaxy
NGC 2937, below, and took a dive.

Together known as Arp 142, they are
featured
in this new
Webb
infrared image, while a
visible light
Hubble
image appears in comparison.

NGC 2936 is not only being deflected, but
distorted, by this close gravitational interaction.

When massive galaxies
pass near each other,
gas is typically condensed from which
new stars form.

A young group of stars appears as the nose of the penguin toward the right of the upper galaxy, while in the center of the
spiral,
bright stars together appear as an eye.

Before a billion years, the
two galaxies will likely merge into one larger galaxy.