Although the Universe may look all sparkling and peaceful at first glance, it’s actually an everlasting mechanism of creation and destruction. Stars die and are born every day, black holes are constantly absorbing large chunks of matter, and so on.
Thanks to the Hubble space telescope, NASA has spotted a unique image showcasing three galaxies as they’re “fighting”. The galaxies are presented in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies.
What are siblings for! ✨@NASAHubble captures a bickering set of galactic triplets engaging in a gravitational tug of war. This system is featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a list which showcases unique galaxies in the universe. Discover more: https://t.co/wIRyxyOGUQ pic.twitter.com/vC6aYetOs5
— NASA (@NASA) August 1, 2021
Hubble is operated by both NASA and the European Space Agency, meaning a telescope responsible for the discovery of a multitude of space objects along its glorious history.
An over three-decade-long cosmic adventure
Hubble has been pointing its gear towards the heavens since more than three decades ago. The telescope charges up by absorbing energy from the Sun with its two 25-foot solar panels. Weighing roughly 24,500 pounds, Hubble is about the same size as a school bus.
Since its launch back in 1990, Hubble has brought to the world a multitude of images that made people understand the Universe better. The photos were made for objects as close as the Moon, but also for the most remote galaxies discovered, supernovae, and nebulas.
Nobody knows for sure where the true boundaries of the Universe are. Astronomers can only see the observable Universe, meaning until the portion of spacetime from where the light had enough time to reach Earth during the 13.7 billion years since the Big Bang. The Universe could theoretically be millions of times bigger than what astronomers can see with the most powerful telescopes.
In other words, don’t count on Hubble to discover everything! However, its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, sure has some advanced “toys”! The goal of astronomers is to use it for grasping better insight into galaxies and stars.
