This Hubble Space Telescope image this week shows two galaxies merging into one due to the force of their gravity pulling them together. NGC 5953 is so close to NGC 5954 that they share one name, Arp 91.
This object is located 100 million light years away and shows the extreme conditions that can result when two massive galaxies collide.
The two galaxies that make up Arp 91 are both spiral galaxies. However, the shapes of these galaxies appear different in this image. This is due to the angle at which they are viewed from Earth. NGC5953 is the lower galaxy and NGC5954 is the upper right. The NGC5953 is seen straight on. NGC5954 is seen more edge-on.
The result of galaxies merging like this can either be destructive or create new types of galaxy. Sometimes one of the galaxies is annihilated by the collision. Sometimes, they can merge to create a larger, new galaxy.
The Hubble scientists wrote that Arp 91 is a vivid example of galactic interaction. NGC 5953 clearly tugs at NGC 5954. It looks like it's extending one of its spiral arms downward. They are interacting because of their immense gravitational attraction. These gravitational interactions are a common part of galactic development. Astronomers believe that colliding spiral galaxies can lead to the formation a different type of galaxy called elliptical galactics.
However, these massive and energetic collisions occur over a time span that dwarfs a human life. These collisions occur over many millions of years so it is unlikely that Arp 91 will look any different in our lifetimes.
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