Two spiral galaxies captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Larson et al.

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Two spiral galaxies captured by the Hubble Space Telescope

The orbiting observatory has been used by astronomers to image a side-on and face-on a spiral galaxy in the same shot.

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Jess Wilder

Published: January 4, 2020 at 8:00 am
Two spiral galaxies captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Larson et al.
Two spiral galaxies captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Larson et al.

This twisty character and straight sidekick are two spiral galaxies (the one on the right is viewed edge-on) called NGC 6285 and NGC 6286, near-neighbours 250 million lightyears away in the constellation of Draco, the dragon.

Known together as ARP 293, the pair are interacting, their mutual gravitational attraction drawing wisps of gas and dust from each other, bending each out of shape in the process.

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Observatory ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Larson et al. Space Telescope

Release date 30 November 2019

Credit ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Larson et al.

Jess Wilder

Science journalist

Jess Wilder is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Production Editor.
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