Witnessing a Cosmic Clash - An Ancient Galaxy Collision Unfolds
Our galaxy is but one among an estimated 100 billion, with countless cosmic enigmas awaiting discovery. This stunning image, produced using data from the Very Large Array Radio Telescope and the Spitzer, Hubble, and Chandra space telescopes, offers a glimpse into one such mystery.
Centaurus A, the fifth brightest galaxy in our night sky, is relatively close at a mere 13 million light-years away. Its proximity allows us to observe the remnants of a collision with another galaxy. Upon closer inspection, a warped central disk of dust and gas emerges, bearing witness to this ancient cosmic encounter.
