"NASA's Hubble Telescope Witnesses Intergalactic Tug of War"

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of the spiral galaxy NGC 5427 engaged in a gravitational tug-of-war with its companion galaxy NGC 5426, forming the pairing Arp 271. This interaction, which will last for millions of years, may lead to the merging of the two galaxies. The gravitational forces are causing gas to be shared between the galaxies, triggering the formation of new stars. Studying such interactions provides insights into the future collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, which is expected to occur in about 4.5 billion years, potentially affecting the fate of the solar system.