NASA Releases Photo of Galactic Bridge Between Two Galaxies [Photo]
The Hubble Space Telescope captured a mesmerizing image of a galactic bridge spanning 250,000 light-years between two galaxies from the Arp 295 group. NASA shared the corresponding image on its official website. The stellar bridge formed due to gravitational interaction between two galaxies closely positioned to each other, consisting of stars and interstellar gas.
The Arp 295 group comprises three spiral galaxies — Arp 295a, Arp 295b, and Arp 295c — located approximately 270 million light-years away from Earth in the direction of the Aquarius constellation.
Galactic bridges form when galaxies approach each other, or during their initial formation in proximity, triggering a gravitational interaction that initiates the mutual attraction of stars and matter. Such cosmic entities are termed interacting galaxies. This process unfolds over billions of years and may eventually lead to their merger.
Galactic mergers are considered common occurrences in the universe. For instance, approximately 4 billion years from now, our Milky Way galaxy will merge with the massive Andromeda Galaxy.
The galaxies are currently 2.5 million light-years apart and are closing the distance under the influence of mutual gravitational attraction, approaching at a speed of 111 km/s. Computer simulations indicate that the merger will continue for another 2 billion years after the initial process, resulting in the formation of a new elliptical galaxy. According to predictions, the Solar System will not be disrupted, although it will find itself farther from the new galactic centre than it is now.
Recently, the Gaze publication also reported that NASA experts successfully unpacked a container containing samples from the asteroid Bennu.
The mission to collect rock samples from the 500-meter-wide asteroid Bennu began in 2016 when NASA launched the Osiris-Rex probe to the celestial body. The spacecraft took two years to reach the asteroid and another two years for mapping before scientists could confidently determine a surface location for collecting rock samples. The capsule with samples returned to Earth in late September 2023, covering a total distance of 7 billion kilometres. However, opening the container lid proved challenging as two out of the 35 fasteners got stuck.