WWNO skyline header graphic
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Support local, independent journalism on WWNO with your Member Fest gift now! Click the donate button or Call 844-790-1094.

Galaxies In Collision

Arp 148 which shows two galaxies in collision, is located in the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, approximately 500 million light-years away.
NASA, ESA, A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Arp 148 which shows two galaxies in collision, is located in the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, approximately 500 million light-years away.

Here is a wonderful image of two galaxies in the midst of a million-year-plus long collision.

From NASA's image of the day description:

"This interacting pair of galaxies is included in Arp's catalog of peculiar galaxies as number 148. Arp 148 is the staggering aftermath of an encounter between two galaxies, resulting in a ring-shaped galaxy and a long-tailed companion. The collision between the two parent galaxies produced a shockwave effect that first drew matter into the center and then caused it to propagate outwards in a ring. The elongated companion perpendicular to the ring suggests that Arp 148 is a unique snapshot of an ongoing collision."

It's worth noting that our galaxy and Andromeda will be doing this kind of dance in a few billion years (start worrying now, its never too early.)

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Adam Frank was a contributor to the NPR blog 13.7: Cosmos & Culture. A professor at the University of Rochester, Frank is a theoretical/computational astrophysicist and currently heads a research group developing supercomputer code to study the formation and death of stars. Frank's research has also explored the evolution of newly born planets and the structure of clouds in the interstellar medium. Recently, he has begun work in the fields of astrobiology and network theory/data science. Frank also holds a joint appointment at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a Department of Energy fusion lab.

👋 Looks like you could use more news. Sign up for our newsletters.

* indicates required
New Orleans Public Radio News
New Orleans Public Radio Info