A beautiful snapshot of the galaxy NGC 34, located in the constellation Cetus, has been published on the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope website under the heading “Image of the Week”.
Outwardly, as noted, the captured object looks like some otherworldly formation or a mysterious inhabitant of the underwater world. The bright central part is surrounded by ghostly structures with stellar inclusions.
The secret behind NGC 34’s unusual appearance is that the object was formed as a result of the collision of two spiral galaxies. In the process of merging, galaxies are strongly influenced by gravitational interaction. In addition, the most active star formation is observed in merging galaxies.
In the photo, the spiral structure is clearly visible in the central part of NGC 34. At the same time, irregular smoky areas are located on the outskirts.
Click to enlarge
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Recall that the Hubble has been operating in orbit for over 30 years: this observatory was launched on April 24, 1990 aboard the STS-31 Discovery shuttle. For many years of operation, the device has transmitted to Earth a lot of scientific information, the significance of which is difficult to overestimate.
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