Galactic Merger

The beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1532 is wrapped up in a "tug of war" with a smaller galaxy (bright blob just above the galaxy's disk) that will end when the two great "cities of stars" merge in a few billion years. The gravitational pull of the smaller galaxy has already pulled out great streamers of stars and gas from the body of NGC 1532, distorting some of its spiral arms. All major galaxies, including the Milky Way, grow by gobbling up smaller galaxies. The two galaxies are about 55 million light-years away in the southern constellation Eridanus, the river. Hundreds of other galaxies are visible in the background, most of which look like tiny red or yelow stars. [CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA; R. Colombari, M. Zamani & D. de Martin]