Cosmic Collision: Hubble Captures Stunning Galaxy Crash
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of Arp 107, a pair of galaxies in the midst of a collision. The larger galaxy is a Seyfert galaxy with a bright active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole, while the smaller galaxy is a bright core. A bridge of dust and gas connects the two galaxies. Interacting and merging galaxies like Arp 107 were first cataloged by astronomer Halton Arp. Although these galaxies are difficult to see, a similar sight can be observed by pointing a telescope at the Whirlpool galaxy.