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| The larger galaxy, oval-shaped with a glowing core, is shown merging with a smaller spiral galaxy. A trail of material connects the two, highlighting their interaction. The pair is surrounded by a faint halo of stars, with several distant stars visible in the background. |
The Hubble Space Telescope has once again provided a stunning glimpse into the universe, this time focusing on a cosmic tangle in the heart of the Coma galaxy cluster. The image showcases MCG+05-31-045, a pair of interacting galaxies located 390 million light-years away. This captivating duo is part of the densely packed Coma cluster, which contains over a thousand galaxies, many of them elliptical in shape.
Historically, the Hubble Picture of the Week has featured the spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, often referred to as “the jewel in the queen’s hair.” This week’s image highlights a different kind of cosmic beauty: two galaxies caught in the throes of interaction. The larger galaxy, with its bright, ringed core, is slowly merging with the smaller spiral galaxy, a process that will eventually transform them into a single elliptical galaxy.
The Coma cluster is known for its high concentration of galaxies, primarily elliptical types, which are formed in close encounters and collisions. These interactions stir up the galaxies’ gas, which is then rapidly consumed in the creation of new stars. As these new stars—often massive and blue—burn out quickly, the galaxy loses much of its gas, leaving behind a population of older, redder stars. Over time, this process transforms spiral galaxies into the elliptical forms seen throughout dense clusters like Coma.
MCG+05-31-045 is following this same evolutionary path. The smaller spiral galaxy is being pulled apart by gravitational forces, and as its gas is used up in the formation of new stars, the resulting elliptical galaxy will be left with a sparse, ageing stellar population. This transformation, however, will take millions of years to complete.
For now, as the galaxies continue to interact and merge, Queen Berenice II’s hair remains in cosmic knots—an apt metaphor for the complex, slow-motion dance of galaxies in the vastness of space.