The universe is full of secrets, and space professionals see some unexpected happenings in the cosmos daily. A photograph of merging galaxies taken by NASA is the most recent addition to this long list. The snapshot depicts two spinning galaxies merging in a galaxy system 140 million light-years from Earth, in what appears to be an intimate cosmic union.
One definition for goulash, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a mixture of heterogeneous elements, or jumble. This 2017 image of the galaxy Arp 299 is just that. Arp 299 is a system located about 140 million light-years from Earth, containing two galaxies that are merging, which has created a partially blended mix of stars from each galaxy. Data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory reveals 25 bright X-ray sources sprinkled throughout the Arp 299 concoction. Fourteen of these sources are such strong emitters of X-rays that astronomers categorize them as "ultra-luminous X-ray sources," or ULXs. This composite image of Arp 299 contains X-ray data from Chandra (pink), higher-energy X-ray data from NuSTAR (purple), and optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope (white and faint brown). Arp 299 also emits copious amounts of infrared light that have been detected by observatories such as the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Cosmic Fusion Lives Violently
Shock waves rumbled through both galaxies as they fused intimately, triggering waves of fresh star formation. Some of the stars are enormous and have short but violent lives.
"Blended, not stirred, please," NASA captioned the image of these merging galaxies on the space agency's Instagram feed. Two oval-shaped objects can be observed generating bundles of blue X-rays that brighten the surrounding areas in the photograph.
Arp 299 is a galaxy system made of two galaxies in the process of merging for a long time, NASA explains in a new blog post. The speed at which galaxies move through space around other objects varies dramatically -- Andromeda is moving toward The Milky Way at nearly 70 miles per second, according to the best data currently available. Even when the galaxies appear to be moving very quickly, their sheer size means that a merger could take hundreds of millions or even billions of years to happen.
Astronomers 134 Million Light-Years Behind From The Event
Since the system is 134 million light-years away from Earth, BGR said that astronomers' observations of the event are 134 million years behind. For the course of human history, and possibly even as long as life has existed on our planet, the two galaxies have collided.
Scientists have different estimations for how long it takes for galaxies to fuse once a collision occurs. The size of the galaxies involved, as well as the angle at which the two galaxies meet, are all elements that can change the timing. Estimates differ, but it's usually assumed that the process will take at least a few billion years, and maybe much more depending on the circumstances.
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What's most intriguing about galactic mergers is that, though they seem terrifying, individual stars inside these systems are unlikely to collide. Some may interact because of gravity, but the stars and planets, in general, are mostly untouched, even over extended periods of time.
Chandra X-Ray Observatory: NASA's Trump Card in Capturing Distant Cosmic Images
Using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, NASA captured the incredible image of galaxies merging. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory was launched by NASA in 1999 and has served as the agency's flagship project for X-ray astronomy ever since.
Data from Chandra X-Ray Observatory reveals 25 bright X-ray sources sprinkled throughout. Fourteen of these sources are such strong emitters of X-rays that astronomers categorize them as "ultra-luminous X-ray sources" or ULXs. These ULXs are likely binary systems where a black hole or neutron star is pulling material from a companion star, according to NASA's Instagram page.
NASA's photograph quickly went viral, with more than 600,000 likes on the photo-sharing platform. The majority of space aficionados are now praising NASA for capturing the splendor of the cosmic event in all of its glory.
"Is there a wallpaper of this picture available? PC and mobile?" a person, who goes by the username wizard.b0i, asked.
Fortunately, the Chandra Observatory website states that photos can be searched and downloaded to be used as phone and tablet wallpapers by clicking this.
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