Galaxy contact in a class of its own: In this spectacular image from the Hubble Space Telescope, the galaxy on the right appears to be spewing out a stream of stars in a high arc. In fact, you can see two galaxies interacting with each other.
If galaxies get too close, they influence each other via their gravitational pull: Depending on the proximity and attraction of the galaxies involved, there can then be an exchange of gas clouds, stars and star streams. In extreme cases, a galaxy collision occurs, in which both star clusters merge with one another. Such galactic mergers can take place over several hundred million to over a billion years.
But long before that happens, unique formations often arise, such as this galactic “gargoyle”. Two galaxies are involved in this cosmic work of art, which, like our Milky Way, are of the bar-spiral type. NGC 2799 – pictured here on the right – was discovered in 1874 and is approximately 75 million light years away from us. The galaxy NGC 2798, visible from the side, was observed for the first time 14 years later by the astronomer Wilhelm Herrschel. Although both galaxies look like they are falling directly into each other, they are relatively far apart: NGC 2798 is two million light-years further away than NGC 2799.