<p> In a first, Hubble telescope has captured two galaxies merging located around 230 million light-years away in the constellation of Hercules.<br /><br />The image of main galaxy NGC 6052 was taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.<br /><br />"It would be reasonable to think of this as a single abnormal galaxy, and it was originally classified as such. However, it is in fact a 'new' galaxy in the process of forming," the space agency said in a statement.<br /><br />"Two separate galaxies have been gradually drawn together, attracted by gravity, and have collided. We now see them merging into a single structure," it added.</p>.<p><br />As the merging process continues, individual stars are thrown out of their original orbits and placed onto entirely new paths, some very distant from the region of the collision itself.<br /><br />Since the stars produce the light we see, the "galaxy" now appears to have a highly chaotic shape.<br /><br />"Eventually, this new galaxy will settle down into a stable shape, which may not resemble either of the two original galaxies," the statement read.</p>
<p> In a first, Hubble telescope has captured two galaxies merging located around 230 million light-years away in the constellation of Hercules.<br /><br />The image of main galaxy NGC 6052 was taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.<br /><br />"It would be reasonable to think of this as a single abnormal galaxy, and it was originally classified as such. However, it is in fact a 'new' galaxy in the process of forming," the space agency said in a statement.<br /><br />"Two separate galaxies have been gradually drawn together, attracted by gravity, and have collided. We now see them merging into a single structure," it added.</p>.<p><br />As the merging process continues, individual stars are thrown out of their original orbits and placed onto entirely new paths, some very distant from the region of the collision itself.<br /><br />Since the stars produce the light we see, the "galaxy" now appears to have a highly chaotic shape.<br /><br />"Eventually, this new galaxy will settle down into a stable shape, which may not resemble either of the two original galaxies," the statement read.</p>