The Hubble Telescope has captured the interaction of two galaxies. Studying such pairs will help to learn more about cosmic evolution. This was reported by the European Space Agency (ESA).
This pair is called Apr 86 and is located in the constellation Pegasus, about 220 million light-years from Earth. It includes NGC 7753 and companion galaxy NGC 7752. The small galaxy appears to be attached to NGC 7753.
“The gravitational dance between them will ultimately cause NGC 7752 to be thrown into intergalactic space. Or it will be completely swallowed up by NGC 7753, ”ESA said.
The agency also explained that the Hubble observations were supposed to explain how cold gas contributes to the formation of stars in the area. The observatory has studied gas clouds, star clusters and dust clouds in several neighboring regions, including other galaxies outside Apr 86.
These data were combined with studies carried out using the ALMA telescope complex. Thanks to these telescopes, a team of scientists is looking for more information about star formation.
The study could help fuel the James Webb Telescope, which is slated to launch in late 2021 to study the origin of the universe. One of Webb’s research projects will be the study of galaxies like Apr 86, ESA said.
Once conceived as the successor to the Hubble, James Webb will become the largest observatory ever launched into orbit. Using a 6.5-meter gold-plated mirror, the telescope will try to answer questions about the formation of the first stars and galaxies.
