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> Galaxy ESO 77-14

Galaxy ESO 77-14

author: Nasa/Esa/Hubble Heritage Team/Novapix

reference: a-gax95-00170

Image Size 300 DPI: 25 * 25 cm

This image of ESO 77-14 is a stunning snapshot of a celestial dance performed by a pair of similar sized galaxies. Two clear signatures of the gravitational tug of war between the galaxies are the bridge of material that connects them and the disruption of their main bodies. The galaxy on the right has a long, bluish arm while its companion has a shorter, redder arm. This interacting pair is in the constellation of Indus, the Indian, some 550 million light-years away from Earth. The dust lanes between the two galaxy centers show the extent of the distortion to the originally flat disks that have been pulled into three-dimensional shapes. Image taken by the Hubble space telescope on august 17, 2001.

Keywords for this photo:

2001 - 2008 - ASTRONOMY - COLLISION - ESO 77-14 - GALAXY - HST - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - INDUS - INTERACTING - SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE - STAR - STAR FORMATION -