Hubble Space Telescope Captured Triple Galaxies

NASA shared the image of the three-way galactic cluster which was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on Friday. The image is an example of what happens when galaxies get too close. It also shows a glimpse of our own galaxy’s eventual fate, predicted for 4.5 billion years from now.

Hubble Space Telescope captured the image as a bonus snapshot in between its longer observation times. They help the team behind the space telescope to decide on Hubble’s next target for extended observation periods.

The Hubble Space Telescope is jointly run by NASA and the European Space Agency. The new image is also a feat in technological resilience and ability. The cluster was captured just two weeks after Hubble returned to operation after a five-week pause in operations. In July, the Hubble team switched the spacecraft to backup hardware after an issue with its payload computer.The galaxy cluster is known as Arp 195. It is located in Lynx, a constellation named for the animal, usually observed in the Northern celestial hemisphere. Arp 195 lies approximately 389 light-years away from Earth.

Arp 195 is also featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a catalog of the strangest looking galaxies captured by our Earthly telescopes. The catalog was released in 1966 with 338 galactic oddballs.The force of gravity of an object depends on its mass, and every object in space exerts a gravitational pull on its surrounding objects.Galaxies are a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars held together by gravity. If two or more galaxies get too close to one another, the gravitational force of the larger galaxy of the group will begin to pull on the gas of its galactic companions.