Posted on 10/19/2012 5:29:22 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: NGC 2623 is really two galaxies that are becoming one. Seen to be in the final stages of a titanic galaxy merger, the pair lies some 300 million light-years distant toward the constellation Cancer. The violent encounter between two galaxies that may have been similar to the Milky Way has produced widespread star formation near a luminous core and along eye-catching tidal tails. Filled with dust, gas, and young blue star clusters, the opposing tidal tails extend well over 50,000 light-years from the merged nucleus. Likely triggered by the merger, accretion by a supermassive black hole drives activity within the nuclear region. The star formation and its active galactic nucleus make NGC 2623 bright across the spectrum. This sharp cosmic snapshot of NGC 2623 (aka Arp 243) is based on Hubble Legacy Archive image data that also reveals even more distant background galaxies scattered through the field of view.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, ESA, NASA; Processing: Martin Pugh]
There you are just spacing out and suddenly you get sucked into something...
Great pic. Thanks for the APOD.
Can you imagine just sitting home watching the Simpsons one night when all of a sudden there is a knock at the door, demanding that you evacuate your home because your galaxy just collided with another one?
It’s amazing how two galaxies can wander through the same space and the disruption to much of each galaxy could be minimal-to-nonexistent. Lotta space involved. :’)
It would be a problem of a whole another magnitude. ;’)
Make sure your galaxy accelerates to match the speed of the other galaxies. Turn on your left turn signal and glance over your left shoulder to make sure no other galaxies are in the way. Then, merge with the other galaxies. If a galaxy refuses to move and let you merge, then sound your horn and flip them off.
Someone else takes pictures of clouds (besides me and you cc). I think it is Daffy.
Good idea.
;’)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW_qGMRmJAw
http://www.youtube.com/results?q=vangelis+spiral&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=w1
Yeah, that's racist.
Galaxy PD cop: “Sir, you’ve got 32 million years to gather up any belongings you can’t do without but after that we’re gonna have to insist you’re out of here.”
Here's another:
Damnit! I TOLD you we should have left earlier!!
I’m such a procrastinator. I knew this was coming five million years ago! lol
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