NASA Hubble Image Shows Epic View of 2 Close Galaxies 200 Million Light-Years Away From Earth! [See Photo Here]

The latest NASA Hubble image captured just showed space fans a magnificent view of two interacting galaxies.

The interacting galaxies named Arp 298 are located 200 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. As seen on the image, it contains the two galaxies NGC 7469 and IC 5283.

The image captured by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope shows that both galaxies are spiral in form. The NGC 7469 galaxy is the larger of the two. It is also known as home to an active, supermassive black hole as well as a ring of bright star clusters surrounding the galaxy.

On the other hand, IC 5283 is a smaller galaxy in comparison.

NASA Hubble Image: Interacting Galaxies of Arp 298

This NASA Hubble image of Arp 298, which also shows a lot of other galaxies in the background, was made with data from three different Hubble proposals.

The photo was rendered accurately and in detail since it is a product of combining observations. Data from three sets of observing proposals were combined to see Arp 298 in all its glory. The space telescope use two cameras to make it happen: the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys.

According to NASA, the "Arp" in its name means it is listed in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which is compiled by astronomer Halton Arp. The Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies is a collection of multiple unique galaxies with unusual structures. It includes galaxies with everything from spiral arms that are split into parts, to rings that are all the same size.

It is not the first time the NASA Hubble Telescope looked at Arp 298, as it already did so back in 2008.

Hubble Space and James Webb Telescope

These merging galaxies are usually gas-rich spiral galaxies. Gas-rich galaxies mean they have the capabilities to produce stars when they come together before the crash. There is less angular momentum in the gas in the galaxies as they get closer to each other, and it starts to funnel toward each other to collide.

This causes more stars to form at a faster rate, up to hundreds of solar masses per year instead of one or two per year in normal star-forming galaxies like Earth's. Stars make a lot of infrared light when they heat up the dust around them, which makes a lot of energy.

These galaxies will be looked at by the James Webb Space Telescope as part of the Director's Discretionary Early Release Science Programs in Summer 2022.

As reported by Space.com, scientists will be able to compare Hubble's work with that of Webb's work in the not-too-distant future. Arp 298 will be one of the first research targets of Webb's observations, which will begin in summer 2022, according to Hubble officials.

Following the introduction of Webb on December 25, the telescope is currently in the process of aligning its mirrors as part of a months-long commissioning procedure.