Situated in Earth’s orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope it has one of the best locations to point your searchlights at the farthest reaches of the universe.
He has been doing this work for almost 33 years, which is why in his memory he records an impressive data of innumerable galaxies that inhabit the extensive terrain that we travel.
It was recently surpassed scientifically by the James Webb Space Telescopebut inside it records data that has never been explored and that each investigation has new information to discover about the phenomena that occur in the astral distances.
This is the case of the wonderful “Cosmic Angel”, captured in 2019. A system in which there are two galaxies merging hundreds of millions of light years away from Earth.
The system is known as VV 689 o “Angel Wing”. This merger of two spiral galaxies is located about 650 million light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius.
The image of the VV 689 system shows a characteristic “angel wing” shape, which is produced by the gravitational interaction between the two galaxies. Streams of gas and dust stretching through space create this amazing shape, which has captivated scientists and the general public alike.
The merger of these two galaxies will generate a new galaxy, which will probably be a giant elliptical star cluster. These kinds of events are common in the universe, and can give us valuable information about the formation and evolution of galaxies.
“This system gives us a unique opportunity to study how galaxies transform when they merge,” said study leader Rupali Chandar of the University of Missouri in Kansas City. “We can clearly see the gravitational influence of the two galaxies in the ‘angel wing’ shape, and we will be able to study how gas, stars and supermassive black holes mix in the cores of merging galaxies.”
The image of the VV 689 system was made possible by the unique capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope. The instrument has been instrumental in the study of the universe for more than three decades, and has provided some of the most spectacular and revealing images in history. modern astronomy.
“Hubble remains a fundamental tool for astronomy,” Chandar said. “It has revolutionized our understanding of the universe, allowing us to study everything from planets in our solar system to galaxies at the edge of the observable universe. We hope that it will continue to operate for many more years, and that it will continue to provide us with valuable information about the universe.”
The discovery of the VV 689 system is another example of how technology and scientific research allow us to better understand the universe around us. With each new discovery, we expand our understanding of how the universe formed and how it evolves, and we get one step closer to answering the big questions of human existence.