Image of the Day: "The Gemini Twins"
Spiral galaxies NGC 5426 and NGC 5427 are passing dangerously close to each other, but each is likely to survive as the galaxies advance over the next tens of millions of years, their component stars are not likely to collide, although new stars will form in the bunching of gas caused by gravitational tides. Close inspection of the above image taken by the 8-meter Gemini-South Telescope in Chile shows a bridge of material momentarily connecting the two giants. Known collectively as Arp 271, the interacting pair spans about 130,000 light years and lies about 90 million light-years away toward the constellation of Virgo. The Milky Way Galaxy will undergo a similar collision with the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy in about five billion years.
Should I get out my tin hat now?
Posted by: flflake | November 19, 2009 at 12:01 AM